an unexpected flair up an a bay area refinery produce towers of flames. good evening, everyone. >> the all-clear has been given in a shelter-in-place order after a level-three emergency. it all staph started about 4:10 this afternoon. all six of the refinery's flares were in operation.

the plume of black smoke prompted officials to create the order. >> here is a live look at situation now. you can see quite a bit of difference. only one or two flares appearing to active now. we have live team coverage for you tonight. healther holmes has been talking to people who live in nearby neighborhoods. we begin with patty lee who's live at the refinery. >> reporter: the tesoro refinery is now stable after power was fully restored here around 7:45 this evening. it allowed the flares that you can still see burning behind me to burn more efficiently. they may burn through the night to keep harmful emissions at bay. just after 4:00 this afternoon, a power autoage led to shutdown of the tesoro golden

eagle refinery. six flares acted initially. >> the flares did what they were supposed to do. they released pressure from our system due to the sudden power outage. >> reporter: if left unburned, the gases have the potential to release carbon monoxide into the air. officials reacted immediately by sounding a level-two alarm. a threat that was upgraded a half hour later to a level- three. >> they were monitoring the air in realtime with hand held instrumentation and collecting samples. >> reporter: air quality officials detected odors as far south as walnut creek. despite the health warnings, onlookers showed up to stare at the flames. >> i kind of have a thing for

fire. i just wanted to check it out. >> reporter: and the billowing plumes of smoke slowly dissipate because of light winds. right now, there is a level-one advisory in place. that means there is no community impact from current emissions. it's only the beginning of the investigation into what emissions entered the air earlier today and to what effect. >> tesoro's refinery is the second largest in california with the process to process 166,000 barrels of oil every day. tesoro also employs 700 full- time workers. >> people living near the refinery are plenty of reasons to be on edge tonight. sirens were blaring.

automated telephones were activated. healther holmes has been talking with people in the community tonight. she's live in concord with that part of the story. >> reporter: julie, there is still a smell of smoke here tonight. it's not really strong, but it is definitely noticeable. an advisory for people with health problems is still in effect here. fliers have been posted here warning people to stay indoors. the choking smoke billowing from the tesoro refinery head haded straight for concord with those in the community of clyde among the first to breathe it in. >> sometimes it's a bad smell. it's the first time this happens. >> reporter: that's what this 20-year resident was out walking her dog. that is, until the shrill sound of the emergency sirens alerted her to the problem.

>> i didn't know. the lady just told me. >> reporter: that lady is with the health department's hazardous materials unit. >> we are taking an air sample of this area. then we'll move on to take samples around the area. >> reporter: tests at the time indicated the plume was elevate and dissipating quickly. still, emergency sirens wailed. those living at chateau on broadway were warned that the flare-up could trigger health problems. air quality officials tonight would not go into detail about what just those air samples revealed. an official did say while smoke is a hazard, people are safe

tonight. >> and our coverage continues at ktvu.com where you'll find more video from today's flair- -up. in san jose, more than a dozen people, most of them children, are recovering tonight after a chlorine leak sent them to the hospital. it happened just before 2:00 this afternoon. fire officials say the chlorine apparently leaked from the pool's pump. the san jose fire department says a total of 15 people were transported to the hospital, treated for respiratory problems. all are said to be recovering. a candle light vigil tonight honored a nurse killed on the job. police say she was killed by an inmate. members of the california nurse's association gathered outside the jail to draw attention to the threat of the violence some nurses face from their patients. >> we can do go a long way in terms of assuring facilities

are in compliance and that we're not being handcuffed by cutbacks. >> reporter: police say the woman suffered fatal injuries when she was hit in the head by a man arrested on burglary charges. the nurse's association is pushing for new legislation that would mandate better protections for nurses working in jails or other facilities where inmates are treated. cal state students received news today they did not want to hear. their tuition is going up 15%. at a meeting today, the cal state board of trustees voted to raise tuition 5% immediately and another 10% next fall. they will have to pay about $4900 a year in tuition. at 10:30 tonight, we'll have a live report from san jose state where students are sleeping outside in their tents to draw attention to these tough economic times. alameda county election officials release the official results of the oakland mayor results this evening.

city councilwoman jean quan is the upset winner. she won by 2,000 votes. the difference in this race was rank-choice voting, which added in the second choice of thousands of voters. amber lee joins us now in oakland with this report. >> reporter: the elections department is located inside this courthouse in the basement. earlier tonight, election officials came out here on these steps to announce the final results. >> jane quan had 50.98%. don had 49.02%. >> reporter: the results came down to the wire. we watched this afternoon as election workers counted the final ballots that would determine the outcome of the race. the city's first use of rank- choice voting catapulted jane quan into front-runner status last friday. it was ultimately the difference in her narrow

victory. with her supporters chanting her campaign slogan "block by block" quan spoke about winning by this system. >> i would bet you i got a lot of number two votes. you know, i think that people chose their first choice, but i think many people thought we'd be very good mayors. so i don't see this as a dividing thing. >> reporter: quan says her priorities will be dealing with crime, jobs, and helping young people. she says she will announce a transition team by monday and it will include supporters of other candidates. she's making history of the first female and first asian to become oakland mayor. >> we're very proud today. >> reporter: voters told us they're ready for new leadership under quan. >> i feel like she's looking to do what's best for oakland. >> oakland needs a new direction, someone who i think knows the city much more. >> reporter: while we were

speaking with quan tonight, she received a congratulatory call from the outgoing mayor. >> i will appreciate all the advice she can give me. >> reporter: quan's family told us they plan to host a chinese banquet to celebrate with supporters on friday. here is another close race in the east bay. incumbent jerry mcnerney claimed victory today in the 11th congressional district. he led republican challenger david harmer by almost 2500 votes. about 189,000 ballots still need to be counted. the california attorney general's race also remains tight. new numbers show san francisco

district attorney harris is a bit closer now to republican steve cooley. cooley is the los angeles d.a. he has a lead of one tenth of 1%. by comparison, cooley was leading by 11,000 votes two days ago. more than 1 million ballots must still be tallied. as we told you last night, state senator has decided to san francisco, and today he filed the papers. >> i've decided that i'm going to open up an exploratory committee that will allow me to have this conversation with the people of san francisco. this is the way that i feel i want to look at this particular race for mayor. >> yee easily won re-election to the state senate just last week. he's running for mayor in next november's election. san francisco supervises must still choose an interim there.

it's cooling off outside. overnight lows tonight could produce frost in some areas. i'll tell you which cities will be the coldest. also, a bay area teacher accused of sleeping with a student.

family and friends of a 15- year-old san jose boy came together tonight to remember him and reflect on his death. they held a candle light vigil this evening for michael russel. he was stabbed in the backyard of his home one year ago tonight. >> be the one who speaks up if you see someone being bullied or hurt. be the one who takes action if you hear someone making a threat to hurt someone or hurt themself. >> two of russel's classmates are currently awaiting trial on murder charges. they are 15 and 16 years old. they were 15 and 16 years old at the time but will be tried as adults. a bay area teacher has been released on bail after she was arrested on suspicion of having sex with one of her students. the teacher is 27 years old. the male student, just 17. while students were shocked to learn about the arrest, many say they were not surprised.

>> reporter: rumors have been around for a couple years that a teacher was having sex with a student. students and police say there may even be cell phone photograph floating around. police arrested 27-year-old felecia killings yesterday. >> there's only one victim beknow right now. he's currently 17 years old. apparently, he's an an ongoing relationship with the teacher since about december of last year. >> reporter: killings was released on bail. we went to her last listed address today. no one answered the door. police say they think killings and the student held their liaisons at her home. >> i was kind of surprised, but i kind of knew it at the same time. people said that last year about here. >> reporter: some say the attractive english teacher dressed provocatively and showed different attitudes

toward boys and girls. >> she was a really nice teacher. pretty laid back. >> reporter: with both a criminal investigation and the hot personnel on their hands, the school district isn't saying much. >> statements have been prepared to be sent out to the school community, especially the students involved. the teacher is currently on leave pending investigate. >> reporter: the tame of the student is being withheld because he's still a minor. police say they're continuing to investigate to determine whether there are any other possible victims. there is a call tonight for a boycott of amazon.com. internet users are trying to force the retail site to pull a book that offers advice to pedophiles. we called amazon for a response, but did not receive a reply. in the past, amazon has said it

issues good lines banning certain materials, but it hasn't elaborated on those guidelines. misare asking for the public's help to locate a man who held up a chili's restaurant last month. he's a black man, 22-30 years old. the robbery happened around 10 in the evening on october 29. the dmv might say has hit a speed bump in the newly- designed driver's license. a new processing system is causing delays and it's taking about a month to get the new licenses out. now the dmv is issuing temporary licenses that last for two months. an historic bay area school, a private school will soon close its doors. enrollment is down at the ursuline school and money is

tight. paul chambers reports. >> reporter: there are signs and banners outside the high school showing support for the all-girls catholic school which will close at the end of this school year. >> it's sad. it's a great school. >> we're all very sad. this is more than our school. this is like our sisters. >> reporter: since 1880, the school has been educating young women. many parents we talk to say when the school closes, it will be the end of an era. >> i came here. my sister went through here. my nieces have gone through here. i had hoped my daughter would graduate here too. >> we had our ring ceremony just a couple weeks ago and got our class ring. now we don't get to graduate. >> reporter: parents say they were notified of the closing yesterday. the major reason is said to be financial. this year, the board had to use retirement funds to keep the school open.

>> i believe the e-mail said they had to dip in to support the school. >> reporter: next year, a nearby all-boys catholic school will open their doors for the girls. the principal is hoping for a smooth transition for students who want to transfer over. before that can happen, a lot of questions need to be answered. >> will some facilities be available for us to use, classrooms, their gym. >> reporter: after it's closed for a year, it may reopen as a charter school. tomorrow, leaders will meet with parents to discuss the upcoming school year. the tragic life of former oakland a's outfielder glen burke, the first openly gay major league baseball player is being remembered tonight in san

francisco. the premier of "out" is underway at castro theater. he was born in oakland and went on to a brief career in the majors. he played for the dodgers in the '77 world series before being traded to the a's. some of those interviewed in the documentary said burke was run out of the baseball because of his hom osex wallty. high temperatures today were a bit warmer. 63 in fairfield. 64 in concord. temperatures on the increase the next couple days. before we get there, overnight lows will be cold. frost in the inland valleys. near freezing temperatures in the in order bay. fairfield at 40. these temperatures will get you frost in some of these

locations. possibility for frost in the morning hours. most of us in the low 40s as you head off to school or work. as you go through the day tomorrow, temperatures are coming up a few degrees. we're going to see a lot more upper 60s. when i come back, i'll show you what you can expect. transit officials voted today to spend up to $400,000 to study the possibility of building another bridge across san francisco bay. the southern crossing bridge would stretch between interstate 238 and interstate 380. the idea has been considered for years, but is always rejected because of the cost and possible environmental damage. tolls from the bay area 7 state owned bridges will fund this new study. a low raid to safety. an update tonight on rescues thousands on board a stranded cruise line. why a local woman is concerned about her aunt who's on board.

on the heat of the california state university announcing tuition hike, san jose state's university students are spending

it is taking longer than expected for that disabled cruise ship to reach port since it's beinged to farther so san diego. the plan now is for the ship to reach port late tomorrow. some 4500 people are on board. supplies are reaching them by way of helicopters from the uss ronald reagan. the niece of one passenger said she's worried about her aunt who is diabetic. >> my aunt had started feeling like she was going into diabetic shock. my uncle notified one of the crew members. they gave him one tic-tac to

give to her. stocks edged higher today on the eve of the g20 global economic summit. the dow picked up only ten points. the nasdaq gained about 15. google is giving its entire work force a 10% raise. the reason for the raise is to keep workers from going to other internet companies, especially facebook where about 10% of the employees there are former google workers. also tonight, there are reports that the google employee who leaked the information about the raises has now been fired. no comment on that from google. hewlett-packard has agreed to pay more than $1600 to settle a dispute. hp says the incidents happened years ago and this the

employees involved are no longer with the company. the obama administration urged the supreme court today to keep the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in place while a lower court considers the issue. an initial ruling blocked the policy, but a federal appeals court put the decision on hold pending a review. the log cabin republicanning have asked the supreme court to intervene. president obama has pledged to end "don't ask, don't tell." prosecutors rested their case today in the trial of a man accused of killing a washington intern. he's charged with murder. prosecutors acknowledged they have no physical evidence linking him to the disappearance in 2001, but they are argued her death fits a pattern of attacks by him against other women in the park where her remains were found.

the defense is expected to wrap up its case on monday. in salt lake city, elizabeth smart ended her testimony today in the man accused of kidnapping and raping her. smart disagreed that brian david mitchell suffers from a mental illness. smart was kidnapped from her home at age 14 and held for nine months. candid comments from california's governor elect. what he told our years ago when he wasn't running for office.

tuition is going up again for hundreds of thousands of students in the cal state university system. tuition is nearly doubled there in just five years. students say it's really taking a toll. all of which makes the event going on at san jose state tonight even more poignant. >> reporter: the students right now are watching a documentary, but after that is over, they'll be retiring to these tents. it's the fifth year of a program called poverty under the stars. students say after today's tuition hike, they find themselves closer to the poverty level. >> i have some friends who have to skip meals just to buy books. >> reporter: students say they are worried. cal state university tuition has been rising. it was about $2500 five years ago. today's board of trustees announcement of a 15% hike next

fall means it will cost students nearly $4900 to attend classes. >> the hike brings us closer to poverty because a lot of students here may pay their tuition but can't afford their rent, can't afford their gas. many of the students can't afford breakfast or lunch. >> reporter: by sleeping out tonight, students plan to experience what a 7,000 homeless in the county experience every night, trying to cope with the come and trying to stay alive. now, for some digging deeper into their own pockets for their education, means trying to decide what they can do without. >> poverty is not only for people who are identified with the guy with the long beard or someone that's mentally ill. >> reporter: tonight's event is called the golden state in decline. the professor who organized this demonstration says there are consequences to pricing college diplomas out of the reach of even more young

people. >> you block education and access to education. there's going to be even more poverty because they're not going to be able to get the decent jobs. it doesn't make any sense to block the pipeline into better jobs. >> reporter: cal state university officials say the tuition hikes will reduce a number of classroom cuts. san jose state currently has 4,000 less students than it did a year ago. those in charge of keeping tabs on california's finances say the state could face a $25 billion deficit over the next 19 months. the legislate analyst offer says the deficit includes $6.1 billion in this current fiscal year and $19 billion next year. a plan to get california some quick cash may end up costing the state a lot. the legislative analyst's office says the sale of 24

state buildings will cost taxpayers $1.4 billion over the next three decades as the state leases those properties back. earlier projections said the sale would bring in more than $1.2 billion for the state's general fund in the current fiscal year. california's next governor, former governor jerry brown, is a political rarity. although he has ambition, he also has a self-awareness that causes him to question his ambition and ego at times. he doesn't show that side often. in a rare, candid interview with our political analyst, he did. the interview happened ten years ago, but it was so revealing, we thought we'd show you parts of it tonight. >> reporter: jerry brown was oakland's mayor back then, not running for anything. at that moment, not worried about offending voters, he talked candidly about the perils of being a politician,

about how what he had to do this year was actually creepy, even unsavory. >> there are moments when, yeah, people can irritate you. in this game, you can't get irritated. you just have to smile like this is the most wonderful moment of your life. that's a great -- this is viewed as a great attribute of a politician. it. they can make the person in front of them feel like you're only there for them. if you sit back and reflect, what kind of a person could make thousands of absolute strangers feel they're the most important person. think about what psychology that is. is that intimacy, ma liplation, or some kind of psychopathy. >> so inside, you could be hating this moment, and you wouldn't let us know because it

would be rude. >> if you asked me a question i didn't, i'd have to do that. >> reporter: questions such as is he trying to help or is he filling an emptiness in himself. >> are you more concerned with winning or concerned with doing good? >> reporter: the awkwardness of political luncheons. >> i'm very conscious of closing my mouth when chewing my food or things drooling out of my mouth. i don't like to eat in front of a bunch of cameras. >> reporter: as for of the smiles politicians always have to wear -- >> i don't do that as much as i'm supposed to do. do you have any smile left? i was thinking about this the other day. everybody is smiling. particularly you news men and in advertising. everybody is happy. i'm thinking to myself, is this the cover for something dark and dangerous that's up ahead?

it's almost like there's a conspiracy of happiness to ab secure the suffering. >> reporter: some thoughts from jerry brown ten years ago when he wasn't worried about what you think. he pledged to protect and serve. the serious charges a bay area sheriff's. ty now faces. and it's going to be a chilly night tonight. temperatures will warm tomorrow. and graphic images to get smokers to kick the habit. when they could be coming to cigarette packs nationwide.

the plan for a new san francisco 49ers stadium is moving forward. the city council approved zoning changes that would allow the stadium to be built. negotiations are still going on to figure out how to pay for the stadium. the grocery change fresh and easy says it it plans to hire some 270 people to help in some soon-to-open bay area

stores. those stores are expected to open after the first of the year. dead bodies, crying babies, and disease lungs all part of a federal government's new campaign to get americans to quit smoking. large images would appear on packs of cigarettes if that campaign moves forward. no final decision will be made though until next june. then, cigarette makers would have more than a year to start using the new images. it's estimated 443,000 deaths a year are linked to tobacco. we've posted a slide show of all of the possible picks on our website, ktvu.com. just look for the right now section. the pg & e manager who tried to log on to a consumer chat site was let go.

he tried to join the online discussion using a different name. the online group is concerned about the possible health effects of electromagnetic fields from the new meters. a deputy is in jail tonight for being accused of molesting three children. prosecutors say he molested three children over the last five years but cited privacy issue in refusing to reveal more details. he did not enter a plea today. he's being held on $4.6 million bail. protests against government plans in london to trickle university fees turned violent today. one 20-year-old said they wanted to destroy the building just as the conservatives were destroying their chances of higher education.

in south korea, president obama visited american troops at an army base several hours ago. it is thursday there and veterans day. after the cheers, the president spoke solemnly about the sacrifice american forces made during the korean war. while in south korea, president obama is scheduled to attend a summit of the world's 20 economic leading powers. and in haiti, health care workers scrambled today to set up cholera treatment centers. the disease appears to be spreading quickly across the country. it's now a threat to the entire population of 10 million. snowborders are optimistic about the season ahead. they may have reason for hope. and you'll notice it tomorrow morning. the big change bill martin is

tracking in weather. back with the forecast if a moment.

british police say one of the bombs found in a printer cartridge last month was designed to detonate when the plane was over the eastern united states. one device was removed from a plain in england. the other from yemen. one bomb may have been disarmed accidently. the first clues emerged hours ago to what went wrong when a super jumbo jet engine exploded last week. an oil fire inside the engine may have caused the explosive failure. the with the holidays fast approaching, many tahoe area

ski reports are getting ready for big business. with the cold weather and recent snowfall in the sierra, looks like the timing is just right. >> reporter: outside of the occasional sound of a snowmobile, it was mostly quiet today at sugar bowl ski resort. the snow guns are running at night. mother nature has done much of the work. the mountain is white from top to bottom. >> i think the most significant thing is that the temperature dropped enough. >> reporter: a spokesman says more than a foot of snow has fallen in the past week. they are considering an earlier opening. >> we're hoping. fingers crossed on thanksgiving. >> reporter: at this ski report which sits at a higher elevation, it is colder, allowing snow making all day. skiers having on the slopes for weeks. >> it's awesome.

there's not much open yet, but snow is coming. it's on its way. >> i came up like a week ago, and it was totally bare. >> reporter: what ski resort operators like about the beginning of this season is that it is starting out much like last year. >> last year was a tremendous winter. >> reporter: california ski reports saw a 20% increase in lift ticket sales last year. that's despite the economy. as for this year, they're clearly optimistic. a handful of ski resorts have planned pre-thanksgiving openings, but we could see more resorts move their opening dates prior to thanksgiving if it remaining cold to allow snow making over the next two weeks. well, there's a chill in the air. ice skaters have two places to

go now outdoors in san francisco. that's the safeway ice skating rink in union square. it costs between $4.50 and $5.50 to take some spins around the rink. it's cooling off out there. you can feel it as you head out and about. if you haven't been outside in the last couple hour, much cooler. we've got happening right now, winds clocking offshore. we're going to see some pretty gusty winds in the hills of the east bay tonight. it's not a fire danger thing, but we could see gusts up to 25- 30 miles an hour. that will keep the upper

elevations a little warmer, but it's still going to be cool at surface. a cool one to start out with. probably see some frost in some of the inland valleys. you know who you are. if you had frost this morning, yesterday morning, you're going to see it again tomorrow morning. there's been some patchy fox so watch out for that. tomorrow, temperatures in the 60s. it's going to feel warmer. you'll notice it. as we get into friday, maybe some low 70s. tomorrow for napa, starts off pretty darn cool. you'll want jackets as you head out. in the afternoon, things will warm up quickly. the dry pattern will give us cold nights into the weekend. going to be warmer during the day but cold at night. daytime highs warm into the weekend. upper to low 70s by saturday and sunday. the forecast for tomorrow will be slightly warmer than we were

today. 66 in napa. upper 60s towards clear lake. the east bay temperatures near 70. nice day for your thursday. friday will be a little warmer. saturday, warmer. sunday, warmer. nice weekend. for the first time in a while, you got a weekend you can plan for. we have a situation where each week, for the last month, we've had a chance of rain in the forecast. in this case, we don't have any. your weekend looks good. all outdoor activities will be real nice for you. just know those morning hours will be chilly. the days are shrinking. nights are long, and it is chilly. >> all right. thanks, bill. some new problems today that could postpone the final mission of the space shuttle discovery. it was supposed to launch november 30. two cracks have been found on

the exterior of the fuel tank. the cracks are in an area that holds instruments and not fuel. they hope to repair those cracks on the launch pad. nasa and the pentagon came to the same conclusion today about that mystery plume off the southern california coast. experts agreed it was the billowing con trail of a plane illuminated by the setting sun. one scientist used satellite images and concluded it was a plane. a big trade involved in the a's and warriors. they are off to a great start. did they continue that trend tonight?

american idol auditions continued today in san francisco. they were held at the westin st. francis hotel. these were call-back auditions. randy jackson was joined today by the show's newest judges stephen tyler and jennifer lopez. the new season starts in january. you can see it right here on ktvu. all right. it's another good night of good news for the warriors. >> yeah, they just keep rolling, even out on the road. new york city, the big apple. if you can make it there, you

can make it anywhere. you know what? the warriors saying why not tonight. off to a terrific start. when is the last time you can say they put up back-to-back wins on the road? in new york, taking it to the knicks with the former knick receiving a warm, warm welcome. lee does all right with a season-high 28 points. how about jeremy lynn? stealing nicely ahead to brandon wright to put it down hard. the warriors build up a nice lead. monta ellis wasn't a sure play, but he contributed 22. the warriors build up a 19- point lead only to have it slip away late. they need darrell wright who gets back up on the offensive board. the warriors were in real bad trouble after that. as the college hoops season

cranks up, you might call it a soft spot on the schedule for cal and stanford. the cardinal not showing any mercy at all. cal bullied sonoma state. the bears with carter popping out. he hits the three. it was basically no contest start to finish. allen crab leading the way with 22. franklin had 17. 106-76. it would appear the a's are going full boar to get back into the swing of things. they bring in david dejesus. he did hit .318 for kansas city before losing the last two

months of the season to a rather severe thumb injury that required surgery. oakland gives up the very promising right hander vince mozaro to get dejesus. no grandiose statements from the 49ers regarding the starting quarterback. for the short-term, smith is the man. not alex, because apparently he's not healthy enough. reading between the lines, troy smith could snatch the job if winning becomes a trend. >> as of right now, it looks like it will be troy. it could change, it just depends on how alex progresses through the week. as of right now, troy will take all the snaps. i don't want to get into if he did this, if he did that. >> all right. >> okay, then. >> yeah, you'll see the game

sunday against the rams sunday at 1:00 right here. >> be sure to join the morning news. they'll have the latest on the oil refinery. >> good night.