blamed for several crimes. the video that could lead to an arrest. petaluma buzzing this morning about their baseball team as they begin play later on today in the little league world series. how the team is feeling leading up to game time. mornings on 2 starts right now. good morning you to. it's thursday, august 16. it is an important day for suspended san francisco sheriff ross mirkarimi. we are live in san francisco this morning where a critical ethics commission decision will be made in just hours. tara? >> reporter: it is a critical day. remember, the ethics commission is simply making a recommendation whether sheriff mirkarimi should keep his job.

ultimately the board has the final say and they can vote however they want to. at 9:00 this morning attorneys for mirkarimi and the city will get 45 minutes each for closing arguments. the commission will then get the chance to ask questions. the public will weigh in and then the commission will debate in open session before rendering its opinion. >> it's sort of democracy at its best, isn't it? this is what government does at its best. it allows the public to see every step of it, messy at times. >> reporter: the whole ordeal stems from a new year's eve argument between mirkarimi and his wife where he ended up bruising her arm. >> it addresses a bigger issue. this is bigger than one case and one person. it is about our community's response to domestic violence. >> reporter: black says that mirkarimi was convicted of a misdemeanor false imprisonment charge related to domestic violence and he shouldn't spearhead a law enforcement agency. but mirkarimi supporters who say the incident has been blown out of proportion say this is a

politically charged witchhunt. folks simply do not want mirkarimi as sheriff. supervisors have 30 days to make a decision which should come in october. it will take 11 -- 9 of the 11 supervisors to remove him from office. those supervisors are under strict orders not to discuss their stance on the issue. we're live at san francisco hall, ktvu news. seven american service members have been killed in afghanistan. they were killed when their blackhawk helicopter went down. the taliban claims it shot down the chopper. nato is not confirming that but nato will say that the crash killed a total of 11 people, including those seven americans. coming up at 7:15, we are going to go live to our washington, d.c. newsroom for the latest on the american casualties in afghanistan. time is now 7:03 on a lighter note happening now, excitement building in

petaluma. we're just a couple hours away from their little league all- stars from making their debut in the littleworld series. alex savage live in petaluma at the movie theater that's going to put them on the big screen. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, dave. i just got off the phone with one of the assistant coaches for the team from petaluma. he tells me the kids and the coaches right now are getting all geared up for game time. they're trying to stay loose and they're feeling good about the game later on today. it's their first game in the little league world series. they're playing out in williams port, pennsylvania. back here at home in petaluma, the game will be on the big screen here at the movie theater in downtown petaluma. >> the game's over. unbelievable. >> reporter: what an incredible run it's been. this past weekend the team beat hawaii and they won the west region. 12 and 13-year-old boys, most of them go to petaluma junior high school and they're the first little league team from northern california to make it to the world series since 2002.

back home they seem to have all of petaluma behind them. i talked a short time ago by phone with one of the assistant coaches who says the support from the hometown means everything. >> it does not shock me one bit that petaluma is going crazy for these little guys right now. you know, it's awesome. we don't have tvs and we've been gone for three weeks so any kind of information i'm getting is -- [ inaudible ] people are texting me. >> reporter: the assistant coach also tells me he says the kids really don't seem all that nervous as they head into their first game in the little league world series later on today. it's a 16-team tournament, double elimination. later on today at noon, they'll be playing a team from fairfield connecticut and here from downtown petaluma, the boys will be on the big convenience here at the movie he ter. we're -- movie theater. we're live in downtown

petaluma, alex savage, ktvu channel 2 news. the chp wants you to help identify drivers who are cheating their way out of registering their cars here in california. drivers who illegally register their vehicles out of state are shortchanging california millions of dollars. the law says new residents have 20 days to register their car after they've moved to california. some drivers don't do it because of california's high registration fees. the chp is reminding everybody to report any offending drivers' information. just report it on the chp website. the highway patrol will track them down. time now is 7:06. let's head out to sal to see how the roads are looking this morning. hey, sal. >> hello. once again traffic is actually not doing all that poorly, although we do have some low spots for -- slow spots for sure. it's pretty robust right through here as you come over the hill to concord out of bay

point. of course you've already dealt with a lot of slow traffic in antioch and pittsburg. you have a ways to go to make it to concord this morning. when you get to the bay bridge if you're coming that far, it is backed up only a little bit to about the middle of the parking lot and those metering lights are on. it continues to be -- they might switch them off before 9:00. livermore valley 580 westbound some slowing as you drive into livermore. 580 is also okay as you drive to castro valley. no problems in hayward just yet. santa clara valley 101 continues to be the heaviest traffic. northbound 85 near deanza there's a problem on the shoulder. 7:07. let's go to mark. good morning you to. we're taking a live look outside. this is just beautiful looking through some of the overcast there. the sun already up. came up at 6:27 this morning. mount diablo in the distance and inland spots today will be on the hot side. no triple digit heat but approaching low -- in the lower 90s. right now the clouds

concentrated coastside and right around the bay. we do have some overcast toward oakland, hayward, freemont and san jose. forecast headlines for today, we do have this. the clouds this morning. warm inland. tomorrow a few extra high clouds by the afternoon hours. this weekend high clouds this saturday. we do cool things off, though, by sunday. here's a look at some of the current numbers. san francisco 56. concord in the upper 50s. livermore right now checking in 58 degrees. a little bit warmer today all because of this. high pressure strengthens a bit. that will result some in 90s inland. we will keep it cool. bring the sweater and jacket if you are headed to the coast for thank. in fact all day long. there's a weakening tropical depression. this is hector to our south. this is the eventual track as we head into friday and saturday. some of this moisture will be transported a bit closer to the bay area. as a result, we do bring in a few extra high clouds. it will feel muggy out there. we have been tracking the slight chance of a thunderstorm. not for today, though, as you can see, just the clouds pulling back to near the

shoreline. look what happens into friday afternoon. there's the big batch of moisture moving in. some showers and thunderstorms across the sierra. we could pick up a a slight chance after thunderstorm by late friday night into saturday morning for the bay area hills, especially up in the north bay. but it's minimal chance right now. something we have to keep on though of course with the lightning potential and also the fire danger out there. temperatures thank a little bit warmer than yesterday's highs. more 90s toward antioch and brentwood. oakland lower 70s. san jose right around 82 degrees. these temperatures will check in right about 3:00 this afternoon. san francisco, the clouds this morning, becoming partly sunny into the afternoon. here is a look ahead. your five-day forecast. we thicken up the cloud cover friday and saturday with your weekend always in view. and then we do gradually trim back the numbers by saturday and also into sunday. >> 7:09. happening right now, firefighters are battling at least 70 fires burning west of the mississippi river. you can see almost a dozen

major wildfires are burning in california. check out that map. firefighters are battling the chips fire and are prepare drag for the possibility of thunderstorms -- preparing today for the possibility of thunderstorms and strong winds. the fire threatens more than 900 homes and has prompted voluntary evacuations. a fire burning in lake county is now 75% contained. firefighters say an aggressive attack helped them quickly contain the wildfire in elder rado county. it broke out in the pilot hills area. for a time it did threaten homes near salmon falls road and gallagher road. a little more than 100 acres burned. firefighters are also battling two wildfires in northeast san diego county that put hundreds ever resident there is under an evacuation order. that's the wilson fire. it's burned about 8,000 acres. it is now 50% contained. firefighters are worried the fire could soon merge with the steward fire which has scorched

7,000 acres and is 40% contained. 400 residents have been ordered to evacuate but only a few dozen residents have heeded those warnings. we'll go live to washington state where more than 70 homes have burned. a man facing charges on suspicion of sexually abusing children at his wife's day care. 49-year-old don elliot accused of abusing two children was arrested yesterday at the lots of tots in home day care in rio vista. sheriff's deputies say the license of that day care center will be revoked. the time now 7:10. the taliban is now taking responsibility for a deadly blasthawk helicopter crash in afghanistan. seven of the 11 killed were americans. we'll tell you what we've learned about what brought that aircraft down. also ahead, wikileaks founder julian asaing has been seeking asylum. -- assange has been seeking asylum. now he has it. the response to that decision.

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good thursday morning. we're starting out with low clouds and fog coastside and right around the bay. today a little warmer compared to yesterday's highs. we still have overcast to deal with this morning. warmest locations lower 90s. breaking news from afghanistan. seven american service members have been killed along with four afghans after their helicopter crashed. jacqueline is live in our washington, d.c. bureau to tell us about the group taking credit for the crash. >> reporter: a taliban spokesman is claiming that insurgents shot down the blackhawk helicopter. nato isn't commenting on the terrorist group's alleged involvement but is investigating what took the plane down. it happened in kandahar in southern afghanistan. 11 people were killed including seven american troops. the area where the plane is believed to have gone down is a stronghold for taliban

militants. they stepped up their attacks during august coinciding with the muslim holy month of ramadan. this crash comes two days after afghan police say it was one of the bloodiest in afghanistan so far. this war hasn't really been a topic on the campaign trail and it doesn't look like today is the day. neither candidates have any campaign stops scheduled. family and friends of 29- year-old captain matthew manoukian gathered last night to bring him home for the last time. the marine was killed last week in afghanistan. police officials, patriot guard riders, family members and several of his comrades escorted his body from sfo to the funeral home in lass altos. his loved ones remember him with love and pride. >> he lived a lot in his life. he wouldn't want us to be sad, you know. he wanted us all to celebrate

his life. a bomb threat on a plane carrying 256 people from new york to moscow. just hours ago, the russian aeroflot flight made an emergency landing in iceland. reportedly an anonymous call was made to new york city police after the plane took off claiming that five suitcases on board had explosives and they would blow up when the plane reached moscow. the pilot decided to land the plane in iceland. new this morning, ecuador has just granted asylum to julian asaing of wikileaks -- assange of wikileaks. he did he did it to protect the rights of assange. he thinks assange will be politically persecuted if he's extradited. britain says it will not grant safe passage out of britain for the founder of wikileaks. britain wants to extradite

assange to sweden so he can be questioned about alleged sexual assaults. he's also in trouble with the united states because he published diplomatic cables. focialer secretary of state -- former secretary of state conned condoleezza rye is making her -- rice is making her modeling debate. the clothing line is called it's my team. she is sporting a cleveland browns jersey in the new ad. other models for the campaign include sir renna williams -- serena williams. the line officially launches next month at new york's fashion week. that's elvis you hear. a special treat for elvis fans marking the 35th anniversary of his death. the singer's ex-wife priscilla and his daughter, lisa marie, took the stage at graceland in memphis, tennessee last night. it was the first time the two women have appeared together at the annual vigil that draws thousands of fans at graceland. elvis died suddenly in 1977

from a heart attack after a battle between prescription drug abuse. our time 7:17. a san jose man who was wounded in a drive-by shooting has now died. police say 21-year-old victor mendoza was gunned down on monday, about 4:00 in the afternoon. investigators say the shooter fired the shots from a passing car. the motive in this case is still under investigation. a trucking company may face very big finals for an accident -- fines for an accident that caused westbound lanes on interstate 80 in west pablo to be shut down for more than eight hours. po's trucking may have failed to get the proper permits to carry a crane that clipped a concrete overpass on the highway yesterday morning. that crane smashed a traffic signal and a light pole. it also ripped off concrete from the bottom of a pedestrian overpass. if the company didn't have the proper permits, it could be faced to pay the costs of

repairing the overpass and be hit with extra fines. did you like that cooler weather we had yesterday? up next meteorologist mark is going to tell us about a slight bump in temperatures today. he is tracking the possibility of thunderstorms headed our way this weekend. >> plus, we've been told over and over again don't smoke. but there's a new study says there's something else you're doing probably right now that could be just as bad. what you eat for breakfast that could make you very unhealthy. >> good morning. westbound highway 4 traffic is slow here. we'll tell you what just happened on highway 4 west of here that has police looking for a suspect vehicle.

at bank of america, we're continuing to lend and invest in the people, businesses, and organizations that call the bay area home. whether it's helping a nonprofit provide safe, affordable housing within the city, supporting an organization that's helping kids find jobs and stay in school, or financing the expansion of a local company that's creating healthier workplaces, what's important to the people of the bay area is important to us.

and we're proud to work with all those who are making our communities stronger. welcome back. time 7:21. there's a new report that says smoking may not be the only thing that can increase the risk of heart disease. eating yolks may be just as bad. a journal says if you eat just

three egg yolks a week, that can increase heart disease about two-thirds as much as smoking. we're saying this at breakfast time. the lead author says although the public thinks smoking is worst for your health, eating cholesterol and smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular problems. yosemite's 15th annual picking event is being hailed as a success. [indiscernible] the event is fun but also has a serious purpose. it's part of the park's effort to keep the hundreds of black bears that live at yosemite from interacting with people. rangers remind people to keep their food locked up because it does attract bears. campers think it's a good idea. >> keep bears away from the campers and the cars and from breaking in and causing damage. >> our goal has been for people to store their food properly, to allow bears to live their lives naturally. >> before the apple picking

event started, there were nearly 400 bear-human encounters every year. so far this year there have been just 38 but rangers point out no bear has ever killed a human in the park. time 7:22. sal, so far it really hasn't been so bad. are we waking up now. >> yeah, it's getting a little busier now, dave. it hasn't been all that bad. we certainly have had worst days n. is a look at bay bridge toll plaza. that is backed up i'd say 5 to 10 minutes, more on the 5- minute side it's backed up about 15 cars deep. once you get past that and the metering lights, a decent drive on to the bridge. definitely lighter than the last few days at this hour. taking a look at interstate 880 north and southbound here in oakland, that traffic moves along very nicely. if you're driving on highway 4, antioch traffic a little bit of slowing here in antioch. highway 4 in morello, there was a hit and run. someone says a green pickup truck registered out of

martinez, a gmc pickup truck hit someone and then took off. they have the license plate number and they also i heard them calling out where the guy lives so there might be an unpleasant surprise to this pickup truck driver very soon. 7:23. let's go to mark. good morning to you, sal. about a week ago we were talking about triple digit heat across parts of the bay area. that is no longer the case. we have been cooling off but a little bit of a bump in the numbers for today. low clouds and fog back near the coast and near the bay this morning. so it will keep things cool. area wide at least for the morning hours. temperatures do warm up nicely inland. for tomorrow a few extra high clouds. this weekend they'll be cooling off, especially as we do head into sunday. here's a look at some of the current numbers. mainly in the 50s to lower 60s. san jose 61. napa 55. a bit of a breeze out toward fairfield. for today high pressure is in command of our weather but we still have some fog showing up coastside. the readings only in the lower 50s to lower 60s. here's our forecast model.

we'll take it into the afternoon hours. it does hold on to some patchy fog by 3:00 for the shoreline there. but inland, lots of sunshine. the red contour, the red color links up with 90-degree heat. the warmest locations you can't see here approaching the lower 90s out toward fairfield, antioch and livermore. san jose 82. san francisco 67 degrees. a look ahead, your five-day forecast with your weekend always in view, a few extra high clouds for your friday. gradual cooling over the weekend. coming up in about seven minutes, we'll take a look at thunderstorm chances across northern california as we do head into the weekend. we will also break down the temperature change you can expect for next week. >> all right. your time now is 7:25. moving on without the milk manual. the giants and their fans are responding to the suspense of one of the team's biggest bats. >> police need your help finding a manual they believe is responsible for several armed robberies. we have the surveillance video just ahead. >> what we're now learning about how a 10-year-old girl got stranded at one of the

world's busiest airports.

police in redwood city are asking for the public's help to find a suspect who they say may have committed five armed robberies in just a week's time. channel 2 reporter paul chambers is live now with video police hope is going to lead to

an arrest. paul? >> reporter: good morning. on the video they released it's very clear. you can plainly see the suspect. we're live outside one of the places that was robbed according to police. i'll show you the surveillance video in a second. down the street police believe this is another spot is where another robbery occurred. take a close look for yourself. here's the surveillance video. this is a man police believe is responsible for at least five armed robberies since august 7. he's wearing a new york yankees hat. on second avenue is where the most recent robbery happened. it appears all the robberies took place in about a two-mile radius. police say the robbers held up three markets two of which are here along this road. it's also believed he's held up a restaurant and gas station. all of the robberies occurred in redwood city and north fair oaks area. investigators say in each case, the robber used -- was 5r78d with a hand -- was armed with a handgun and it's unclear how much cash he got away with.

obviously he's considered to be armed and dangerous. police want your help getting him off the streets and behind bars. if you recognize this person, you're asked to call redwood city police. live in redwood city, i'm paul chambers, ktvu channel 2 news. a man suspected of groping a woman in a safeway parking lot in sonoma county is now facing charges. 36-year-old samuel lions was arrested tuesday minutes after the incident was reported. he was already wanted in connection with another groping incident and is suspected in the alleged sexual battery of a teenager. investigators are now trying to determine if lyons was involved in any other incidents in the area. suspected serial killer joseph nasso is accused of murdering four women between 1977 and 1994. in warren county yesterday he thownsed he has fired his advisor after four months. he wants the county to pay for a new advisor but the public defender's office says he is a millionaire and does not qualify. his trial is scheduled to begin

in november. time now 7:30. police have identified now persons of interest in three sexual assault allegations that last -- at last weekend's outside land's music festival. three young women were sexually assaulted between saturday and early sunday morning. one in the wooded area of golden gate park. another one near a set of white tents. and another one near the festival windmill. investigators say alcohol and drugs were involved. >> we believe our victims were of the state of mind to give consent to have any type of sexual intercourse. >> the special victims units has asked for d.n.a. as well as evidence from the persons of interest as well as the victims. investigators were also getting ready to contact the organizers of the concert. young, illegal immigrants from all over the bay area have been lining up to apply for a new federal program that allows them to get work permits. in san jose about 1600 people

were at this employment center to find out if they qualify for the program. to qualify, the immigrants must to have come here to the united states before the age of 16. they also have to be in school or have joined the military and have no serious criminal records. some republican leaders have been criticizing this new immigration program, including the governor of arizona who has been at odds with president obama before. coming up for you at 7:46, what the governor of arizona did in response to the president's new law. happening now, firefighters continue to battle a wildfire that has burned at least 7 on homes in central washington state. dan springer is live in cle ellum with more on the conditions firefighters will be facing today and how long if t could take to -- how long it could take to bring the fire under control. >> reporter: this has been an extremely scary and devastating fire. get this, on monday when this thing started at 1:00 in the afternoon, winds at 30 miles an

hour swept this fire 14 miles in about two and a half hours and it was extremely scary for firefighters. at one time monday night, we're told flames shot over the top of two fire engines. nobody has lost their lives but hundreds of cattle and perhaps thousands of animals have died in this fire. they had less wind yesterday so they did get a better containment. they have 25% containment now and they're hoping for 50% by the end of today because winds again are very light, although the temperatures are going to heat up to the mid-90s later on today and into friday and then they're expecting lightning strikes over the weekend. they're hoping while they have the light winds the next couple of days, they can get a better handle on this. as you mentioned 70 homes were destroyed. we have had -- the county commissioner called this fire one of historic proportions. hundreds or perhaps thousands of animals have been killed because cattle were fenced in.

this is a big farming and ranching area. this is just one of 62 uncontained fires that are burning across the united states right now. nevada, california, idaho, each have at least ten major fires. oregon, washington, montana, wyoming, arizona, they all have multiple fires. this is a heat wave that's gripping the whole west right now. as i mentioned temperatures here in washington state expected to top out into the 90s over the next couple of days. it's been a record number of fires across the west. 43,000 wildfires burning 6.4 million acres across the country. a typical fire season in the u.s. is about five million acres. so we have exceeded a typical season and we are not out of the woods yet. this fire season still has at least a month to go. at least on this fire here in central washington, one of several that are burning in the state of washington, they have

got a full contingent of firefighters, up to 900 firefighters on this scene, including seven helicopters and three of those big air tankers that are dropping fire retardant. so they are working the northern flank of this fire because they're concerned about a jump -- about it jumping highway 97. if it did, it could burn all the way up into leverren worth which is a -- leavenworth which is a historic vacation spot for a lot of people across the country. they go to a beautiful bavarian village in leaven worth. they're concerned it could jump the highway and run all the way to leaven worth. the big concern is to keep it from jumping containment. thank you for reporting live for us from washington. turning to other news, the first lawsuit has been filed in connection with a chevron refinery fire in richmond. civil rights attorney says the suit was filed on behalf of eight people who claimed they suffered health problems related to the fire. more than 1,000 people have contacted his office and he's

heading a group of attorneys to prepare a class action lawsuit. a lot more facebook stock could come up for sale today. early investors in the company were barred in selling their shares when facebook went public in may but now they can sell it if they want to. facebook hasn't been doing very well this morning, to be honest. the stock numbers have not been what facebook shareholders would want for see. remember, this was initially sold for $38 a share. our time now 7:35 this morning. some parents questioning whether they should allow their children to fly as unaccompanied minors. this after a 10-year-old girl from san francisco was stranded in chicago at one of the world's busiest airports. back in june phoebe klebahn was scheduled to fly from sfo to traverse city, michigan with a stop in chicago. klebahn missed her connection with a company hired by united airlines to meet her in chicago failed to show up.

analysts say that incident is putting a focus on the way many airlines are now hiring outside companies to escort unaccompanied minor. the san francisco giants have the the day off after losing their most productive hitter melky cabrera to a long suspension. he's been suspended for 50 games without pay because he tested positive for excessive levels of testosterone. he leads the league in hits. he's in second place in batting averages. this has stunned a lot of fans who have embraced the melk man. >> the kids look up to these guys, you know. what do you tell them? >> came by a admitted -- cabrera admitted to using the banned substance and apologized to the giants and giants fans. there are 44 games left in the regular season for the giants. cabrera could possibly come back if the team finds a way to

get into the deep post-season run without him. the giants did release a statement about all this. here's what they said in part, quote, we're very deeply disappointed. we fully support major league baseball's policy and its efforts to eliminate performance enhancing drugs from our game, until quote. we posted more articles about cabrera and his suspension at ktvu.com. you'll see the story plus slide shows of cabrera and another one on other major leaguers who tested positive for banned drugs. it's all at ktvu.com. 7:37. happening now in election news, republican vice presidential candidate paul ryan is making his appearance. this is in ohio. let's listen in. >> the more food we grow and tell emthem overseas, the more -- and sell them overseas, the more good jobs we have here at home. [ applause ] >> free trade is a powerful tool for peace and prosperity.

but our trading partners need to play by the rules. [ applause ] >> and this challenge focuses on china. they steal our intellectual property right. they block access to their markets. they manipulate their currency. president obama promised he would stop these practices. he said he'd go to the mat with china. instead they're treating him like a door mat. we're not going to let that happen. mitt romney and i are going to crack down on china cheating and make sure trade works for americans. [ applause ] >> there's republican vice presidential candidate paul ryan speaking in ohio this morning. he was just talking about trade, but he's also been talking right before then about medicare. obviously that's a hot issue on the campaign trail. once again this morning, ryan did accuse president obama of raiding medicare to pay for his own health plan. remember, he proposed his own plan to overhaul medicare. rick santorum also campaigning

for the romney-ryan ticket this morning. now let's talk about joe biden. several gaffes by vice president joe biden are making some ask whether president obama should choose a new running mate. the president has three weeks to drop biden from the ticket. biden most recently sparked criticism for saying that republicans would put voters, quote, back in chains. but president obama is defending the vice president and calls him an outstanding vice president. time now just about 7:40. let's go back to sal. you're watching highway 24, aren't you? >> we are. we had some earlier problems there, dave and claudine. those problems have been cleared up. 24 has been moderately heavy. in lafayette it's not that bad. in owe run today you'll see slowing to the tunnel. interstate 880 or this is a look at the bay bridge toll plaza. i'm sorry. i went out of order. went to the wrong thing. interstate 80 westbound, it's

not all that bad. it's backed up to the middle of that parking lot and those metering lights are on. southbound 101 at 3rd avenue, report of a new crash on the way down to san mateo out of burling game blocking at least one of the lanes. i would use 280 as an alternate. you can use 280 to 92 to get back on the 1 01 if you need to get that way. 7:40, let's go to mark. good morning to you. we're taking a live look outsideshowing you this. the cloud cover on the increase since we started the show at 4:30 this morning. lots of overcast. in the bay down toward san jose, mountain view and parts of the north bay as well, around santa rosa and napa. here's a look at some of the current cloud patterns. we still have some sunshine inland but that solid deck of low clouds out to pacifica, definitely off to a cool start this thursday morning. temperatures right now are in the 50s to lower 60s. san jose 61. santa rosa 53. fairfield 56 degrees.

our microclimates really resurfacing for today. warming up as you do head across the bay. warmest locations inland on track to reach the lower 90s. so starting out at the coast lower 60s. warmest locations 92 to 94 degrees this afternoon all because of this. high pressure returns, strengthens a little bit. that's going to result in the minor bump in the numbers we have for this afternoon compared to yesterday's highs. there is some moisture to our south, what is left over. a tropical depression hector. i traced in the track for friday and saturday. we will pick up a few extra high clouds. by friday afternoon it will be muggy and there is enough moisture here, there's a slight chance -- a very slight chance of an isolated thunderstorm developing in the hills of bait area. not for today. but as we do head into friday night and into saturday morning. in fact, our forecast model does a nice job on showing you the increase in the clouds as we do head into friday. you will notice n. the bulk of the action is to our north and to our east. but the chances here of a thunderstorm have been fading,

but still even the tiniest chance, that's still a concern because a lightning strike could trigger a fire. so with the potential of lightning strikes across a good portion of northern california, we will be on the lookout for that especially for friday night and into saturday morning. if not here in the bay area up to our north. temperatures this afternoon a little bit warmer than yesterday's highs. the clouds this morning pulled back to near the shoreline revealing partly sunny skies around the bay. more sunshine inland. and some warm temperatures out to morgan hill and gilroy. san jose 82. san francisco the clouds in the morning. 67 degrees this afternoon. here is a look ahead, your five- day forecast. we beef up the cloud cover for friday and saturday with your weekend always in view. does include some gradual cooling, especially by sunday. claudine? well, the lines always seem to be long at costco but customers at one store think they have a solution. why they are on a facebook campaign to get american only hours at a washington warehouse. from a monastery to a mall, that's the 1700-pound bell that

is now being installed in san francisco. we'll take a look at what it took to get here.

here's a look at your big board. the dow is up 33 points. what is not up this morning, facebook stock. remember, it sold for that ipo of 38 bucks. today shareholders could sell 271 million shares, that's the first of -- as the first lockout period expires. facebook selling for $19 right now. the first time claims for unemployment insurance inched up slightly last week. the labor department reports

266,000 people filed for initial jobless benefits and that is up 2,000 from the week before. but that's still in the range economists say signals modest job growth. new this morning, a new creation from a celebrity chef that has wowed the bay area for years. our pam cook is live now in the ktvu newsroom with the arrival of a new restaurant in downtown san francisco. pam? >> reporter: good morning. do you remember if yam can cook, so can you? the famous local chef is opening a new restaurant at san francisco's westfield shopping center and it's receiving its first guest this morning. that is a big bell right from china. this is the scene this morning as crews begin the work that it will take to hoist that 1800- pound bronze bell into place. he apparently searched all over china for just the right addition to his restaurant. he found this bell that was supposed to go to a buddhist temple, but when it was too big to make it up to the third floor bell tower of the temple, it was set to be melted down.

well, it was saved and this morning that bell is beginning its trip to his new restaurant on market street. he had a cooking show, if you don't remember, on pbs. he's produced 30 cookbooks and started a cup father arts academy -- culinary arts academy in beijing. his restaurant opens up at the westfield shopping center in october. coming up in our next hour, we're going to hear from some of the crew members who are working very hard this morning to get that bell into place. reporting live in the newsroom, i'm pam cook. >> thank you. time 7:47. people have been protesting in ars arlz over an executive order -- arizona over an executive order against president obama's new immigration policy. the governor of arizona jan brewer there issued the executive ready yesterday. it didn't take long for people to start marching against it. the governor ordered state agencies to deny benefits to illegal immigrants who get work permits under the new federal immigration program. this program is for young immigrants who are in school

who were brought by their parents into the united states as children. >> they're here illegally and unlawfully in the state of arizona, and it has already been determined that you're not allowed to have a driver's license if you're here illegally. >> as many as 80,000 people in arizona could be eligible to apply for this new federal program. the police are saying it's the biggest drug bust in central valley. it has already successfully seized 30 pound also of crystal meth in class' been called operation crystal clear. it amounts to a street value of more than $9 million. the five-month investigation also led to the arrest of 11 suspects. this meth operation is believed to be tied to a mexico-based cartel. authorities say getting the suspects and the drugs off the streets will reduce gang violence in the valley because that cartel uses local gang members to distribute the meth. costco customers at a store near the canadian border have a

controversial solution to long store lines. american only hours. a customer at a costco in bellingham, washington create add facebook page to campaign for special hours just for american customers. the page has hor man 4500 -- has more than 45 hown likes. -- 45,000 likes. costco doesn't like the idea of shutting out canadian neighbors. they said they will not be making any changes. a pennsylvania law requiring voters to show identification is headed for the state's supreme court. such porters of the law say you need to -- supporters of the law say you need to prove who you are to fly on a plane but opponents say the law written by republicans will discourage young minority and poor voters who typically support democrats from voting in the upcoming presidential election. your time now 7:50. the two big wildfires that have burned 7900 acres in lake county are now 70% contained. full containment is expected by

monday. the walker and the why fires started last sunday. 1 a 50 fire en-- 150 fire engines and more than 1200 firefighters were there yesterday. two homes and an outbuilding have been destroyed. two more residents -- residences have been damaged. a statewide burn ban is in effect now. that's what cal fire is saying because of the high fire danger we have. the ban sus spends all residential -- suspends all residential burn permits on state controlled land and includes forest management, hazard reduction, and other industrial type burning. cal fire says that burn ban will stay in effect until there's a significant change in our weather or at least until the end of fire season. time now is 7:51. it is about to get under way. heavy lifting on the bay bridge. we'll tell you about the work that is about to get started and how long that work is expected to last. >> plus, new numbers that are

focusing on bay area home prices. one city, though, still apparently hard to move to because it is being called one of the most unaffordable cities in the country.

time 7:53. new this morning new construction on housing slipped in july. commerce department just reported housing starts fell 1.1% last month. that's after a pretty strong report for june. the government says starts of new family homes fell by 6.5%. but that was balanced somewhat by a 12% rise in starts on large apartment units. bay area home prices are bouncing back even more. data quick is reporting that houses here in the bay area sold for 12.6% more last month than in july of last year. that's putting the median price for a home or a condo in the nine bay area counties at about

$421,000. home sales also went up 23% in that same period. a new ranking is putting san francisco high on the list of the least affordable u.s. cities for homeowners. cnn found the city by the bay is second only to new york city when it comes to affordability. the median home price in san francisco $650,000. the median income $103,000. the study found only 32% of those earning the median income could afford to buy their own homes. later this morning, we're going to get a firsthand look at what's going to be used to hold together the new eastern span of the bay bridge. construction teams are going to be lifting more than 35,000 tons of steel on to the bridge. that's going to happen over the next three months. now, at 9:30 this morning, transportation officials will give a presentation on how that complex process is going to work. time now 7:55. let's see what's happening in our commute.

how are we looking, sal? >> we're looking okay. we lad some slow traffic -- we had some slow traffic of course building in some of these commutes now that we're at the peak of it. let's take a look at some live pictures. 237, sunshine' slow traffic but -- there's slow traffic but it's not all that long. this morning it doesn't stay with you that long. so you might want to jump on the road and jump ahead of that. -- you know what i mean. just get on there before it gets too bad. northbound 880, you do have some slowing now beginning to crop up here near the oakland coliseum heading north toward downtown oakland. when you get to the toll plaza, there is a light delay. i want to mention southbound 101 at 3rd avenue san mateo they're dealing with a crash on the shoulder. let's go to mark. good morning you to. it is thursday morning. continues we started the newscast at 4:30 this morning, the clouds have been increasing in coverage a bit, right around the coast and parts of the bay. you see the tree in the left portion of your screen.

that's a good weather instrument for me. a little bit of a breeze out there. with that temperatures not warming up too much for the coast. partly cloudy skies this afternoon right around the bay. more sunshine by 3:00. temperatures warming back up into the lower 70s to lower 80s. just bundle up this morning. on the cool side. here's a warm-up across the inland hot spots. temperatures upper 80s to lower 90s right around 89 to 93 degrees. so today a little bit warmer than yesterday away from the coast the clouds clearing brack to near the shoreline. a look ahead, your five-day forecast with your weekend always in view, a few extra high clouds for friday and saturday. more cooling over the weekend. coming up during the 8:00 hour, we'll take a look at thunderstorm charges across northern california. that's coming up in a few minutes. it is 7:57. expect traffic jams at one peninsula city. the work about to get under way that could cause a slowdown for at least two weeks and the reason behind those repairs. >> we're live in san francisco city hall where a critical decision could come down today that would effect ross

mirkarimi's job as sheriff. >> the little league baseball team here in petaluma is certainly making their hometown proud as they get set to play their first game in the little league world series later on today. we'll show you how folks here in town are supporting them when mornings on 2 continues. kr

good morning. welcome back to "mornings on 2." i'm claudine wong in for tori campbell. >> i'm dave clark. it's thursday, august 16th. in about an hour, a critical ethics commission begins for a suspended san francisco sheriff, ross mirkarimi. ktvu's tara moriarty is in san francisco now to tell us about it. >> reporter: yeah, it will be a critical day. in the end, this will be up to the board. the board can vote however they want. but with this election year coming up, they may not be willing to stick their necks out for mirkarimi. now, in one hour, attorneys for mirkarimi and the city will each get 45 minutes for closing arguments. the commission will then get the opportunity to ask

questions, the public will weigh in and that could take two or three hours in san francisco. >> democracy is not very neat. it's kind of messy and all out there and i suspect that's gonna happen in this case. >> reporter: now, this whole ordeal stems between a new year's argument between mirkarimi and his wife where he bruised her arm. mirkarimi was convicted of a misdemeanor false imprisonment charge related to domestic violence. now, mirkarimi supporters say the incident has been out of proportion. this is a politically charged which hunt, they say -- wit -- witch hunt. it will take nine of the 11 supervisors to remove mirkarimi. tara moriarty, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you. a solano county man faces charges of sexually abusing

children at his wife's daycare in rio vistas. he's accused of abusing two children. the license of the daycare center, the sheriffs say, will be revoked. happening now, the hundreds of people will be watching the team play at noon today in the world series little legal tournament. alex savidge has more. >> reporter: good morning. i talked to one of the assistants. he said the kids are feeling confident this morning and they are not nervous, even as they head into their first game. they are all out in williamsport, pennsylvania. that's where the game will be played but will also be here in downtown petaluma. they are expecting as many as 500 people to be onhand. >> the game's over! unbelievable! >> reporter: this was the scene

this past weekend when the team beat hawaii to win the west region, and that's when they headed off to pennsylvania. the team is made up of 12 and 13-year-old boys. many of them go to petaluma high school. back home, they have all of petaluma behind them. we talked to a nearby restaurant owner who is friends with one of the team's coaches and he says this run is great for petaluma. >> to see something like this happening in in town, it's unbelieve -- in this town, it's unbelievable. and to see cole and all of these guys doing such a great job on tv and representing the west so well -- you guys better win! [laughter] >> i think it's awesome. i can't imagine how excited they must be. >> reporter: later on today at noon, they will be taking on the team from fairfield, connecticut. this is a double elimination tournament so there's not much

room for error certainly for this team. but they are feeling confident this morning as they get set to play their game in the world series. this is a petaluma all-star pin. i'm told right now. this is a very hot commodity right now, given how well the boy's team is doing. their first game in the world series begins at noon. it will be on the big screen. the place should be backed. a party-like atmosphere in downtown petaluma. alex savidge, husband. it's been more than a decade, but san francisco's school buildings are fully accessible. they've fixed code violations. new elevators have been installed, wheelchair ramps have been added, doorways are wider. the work was completed after a 1999 americans with disability act lawsuit. the majority of americans

say mole school folks are more concerned with accuracy than correctness. 54% think the textbooks want to represent information in a politically correct manner. 22% think textbooks try to provide accurate information and the rest, 24%, undecide. a member of occupy oakland could be heading to jail. he's accused of smashing the front window of the oakland police didn't's recruiting and internal affairs office, causing about $6,000 damage. he could be sentenced to 16 months behind bars. in the meantime, ktvu checked overnight, on this vacant library, that was taken over by occupy members. police kirked them -- kirked them out. now -- kicked them out overnight.

now they were calling this the people's library. about a half-dozen protesters were outside. a police officer has been assigned to keep an eye on things. officials say dozens of homeless people are staying on the santa rosa creek and joe rododa trails for months. sometimes even decades. police say one homeless couple even raised a child out there on the trails. officials say the entrenched homeless community is raising health and safety concerns for both cyclists and pedestrians who also want to use those trails. a vigil will be held tonight in fresno for an 11- year veteran for the san jose fire department who passed away from a rare form of cancer. jose manuel martinez died last friday at the able of 41. the mercury news reports that he was diagnosed with cancer two months ago. he is -- he's survived by his

wife who gave birth to twins weeks ago. funeral services will be held in fresno. this man, warren roof, died from leukemia. he served in the sheriff's department for more than 40 years. 8:06. well, pg&e pipeline repairs in palo alto will be causing problems for traffic. charles road and middlefield road will be filled with construction equipment. soon, the parents and school buses will be taking kids to and from school on that same road. expect the area to be jammed until early september. pg&e is replacing a gas pipeline. this is in the wake of the big san bruno disaster in 2010. your time now is 8:07. it has not been a terrible morning. >> no. >> there's been a few incidents

that we've been keeping an eye on. hey, sal. >> that's right. hi, claudine. we've had a few things going on. we're gonna start off and take a look at these pictures. bay bridge, not all that bad. i think the been looks pretty good. right now, it's much better getting into san francisco. also the morning commute on 880 northbound, past the coliseum, you will see some stacking up traffic here just past the -- just past the 66th avenue overcrossing and then driving to downtown oakland. 880 southbound from hayward union city into fremont we're seeing slow traffic as you head to the fremont area. 8:08. here's mark. >> hi there, sal. good morning to you. we have this -- well, we have the sun. it came up at 6:27 this morning. way up above. the clouds are making a comeback. so with that a cool start. taking a lack at the updated image -- a look at the updated

imagery, you can see the overcast in san francisco, oakland, richmond, extending to hayward, even towards the south bay, close to san jose, reporting mostly cloudy skies towards campbell and loss -- los gatos. today will be a little bit warmer compared to yesterday's highs. warmest locations on track to reach the os to the lower 90s for this afternoon -- 80s to the lower 90s for this afternoon. we can tell you this. let's step on back to the weather system. forecast headlines for today, here we go. we have the clouds this morning, skies becoming partly sunny into the afternoon hours. tomorrow, some afternoon high clouds. this weekend a few extra high clouds. we'll coop things off as we head -- cool things off as we head into sunday. current numbers are in the 50s to lower 60s beginning to warm up in san jose at 62. concord, 59. fairfield, 58. high pressure has been in command of our weather.

it strengthens a little bit today. here i am backing up the maps. i am tracking some moisture to our south associated with what is a tropical depression, hector. this is approaching california for friday and saturday, with the mechanism here and it transports some of the moisture in our area. it will be muggy there by tomorrow afternoon. by tomorrow night, we bring in the slight chance of an isolated thunderstorm. today, not too bad. the clouds pull back to the shoreline. and then clouds move back in. there is a slight chance of a thunderstorm into the higher terrain. that will be friday night into saturday morning, just with all of this moisture moving into the south and then decreasing clouds into saturday night. we'll be watching out for that. any potential for a -- any potential for thunderstorms, that boosts the chance up. temperatures this afternoon, as i mentioned, a little bit

warmer than yesterday's highs, warmest locations inland on track to reach 90 to 93 degrees. san francisco, definitely bundle you with the temperatures only -- bunding up with the temperatures -- bundle up with the temperatures in the 60s. and then the temperatures will drop off right into the weekend. 8:10. happening now, a protest is underway at the hotel frank in san francisco. you are looking at a live picture. you can see protesters out in front of that hotel forming a picture line. protesters say the management failed to acknowledge a new contract after the hotel was auctioned off back in 2010. the protesters said the hotel judge found the hotel guilty for firing employees. >> they promptly took our union contract and threw it in the trash can. this is a contract that we had for over 40 years. >> the company that owns the

hotel has not commented on this protest. all right, claudine. 8:11. new this morning -- asylum for the founder of wikileaks. the big announcement made hours ago. the reaction to it and we'll tell you what is happening next. and how a law could affect domestic violence abusers to own a gun. uh, my new waffle breakfast sandwich is "swavory." it's got the savory goodness of my new country grilled sausage, plus a fried egg and melting cheese, and the sweetness of toasted maple waffles. so, triple word score...that's 96 points for me. "nonookie?" what's that supposed to... oh. right now, get a large fountain drink for only a buck. [ male announcer ] now at your dinner...is...served. tonight, take it easy and enjoy your favorite soup, salad and hot, hearty sub. like the toasty big hot pastrami melt.

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good -- good thursday morning. low clouds and fog making a big

comeback. coast side and right around the bay. into the afternoon hours, it will be a little warmer. this company raw shows you -- this camera shows you sun. breaking news from afghanistan. seven american soldiers have been killed, along with four afghans after their helicopter crashed. ktvu's jacqueline fell in our washington, d.c. bureau to tell us what nato is saying about this. >> reporter: well, nato officials say they are still investigating what took this blackhawk helicopter down. they are not commenting on the taliban's alleged involvement because this terrorist group is normally very quick to claim responsibility. this crash happened in kandahar. 11 people were killed, including seven troops. it's been a deadly month for american forces in afghanistan.

before this crash, 19 u.s. troops had died reporting in washington -- died. reporting in washington, back to you. >> 8:15. well, family members and friends of a south bay marin killed in afghanistan gathered last night to bring him home for the last time. the body of captain matthew manoukian arrived at sfo last night. police, patriot guard riders, family members and several comrades escorted the body of the 29-year-old soldier to the funeral home in los altos. before the arrival, they all gathered to remember him with a lot of love and pride. >> he really lock -- he really liked the rockies. he made it a point to understand the culture. he read books like crazy. he could tell you about the law. >> he was on his fourth tour of duty. he was due to come home in

december. his funeral will be held saturday morning. ecuador has granted asylum to julie walk assad. it was done because it's believed that he will be persecuted if not. britain will not grant him out of the country. britain wants him to be taken to sweden about sexual assault allegations. he's also in trouble with the u.s. for publishing diplomatic cables. well, this morning, paul right june making a campaign appearance in ohio. once there, he accused president obama of raiding -- ryan making a campaign appearance in ohio. oncer in, he accused president obama of raid -- once there, he akooked president obama of raiding medicare -- he accuse of raiding medicare.

>> the plan offered by ryan would force seniors to pay an extra $6400 a year. >> president obama wrapped up a three-day bus tour in iowa yesterday and was joined by michelle obama. he has no events scheduled for today. 8:17. there's a new development in that shooting that happened in a washington, d.c. political organization just a couple of minutes ago. authorities charged a suspect, this man here, with assault with the intent to kill. he's accused of walking into the headquarters of the family research council and starting to -- and opening fire. a security guard was shot in the arm but was still able to wrestle the gunman down to the ground. witnesses heard korkin criticize the group before opening fire. now, group leaders have been very outspoken in supporting chick-fil-a's stance in the same-sex marriage. there is a new bill that would make it harder for

batterers in domestic violence cases to own a gun. the bill would require the judges to check firearm databases, order that to be done. the state senate has passed a bill which is now pending in the assembly aappropriations committee. well, the trial has been put on hold for the forthood, texas psychiatrist accused of killing 13 soldiers back in 2009. nadal hassan was ordered to shave his beard. that's a violation of army grooming standards. his lawyers say his beard is an expression of his muslim faith. now, his trial was supposed to begin next week. army prosecutors are now speak seeking the death penalty. giants' pitcher matt crane and dallas braden have new company in their exclusive club. >> a 2-2 delivery.

>> yeah! >> strike three! [ cheers ] >> well, there it is. yesterday, felix hernandez tossed a perfect game against the tampa bay rays. that's 27 batters up, 27 down. there have only been 23 perfect games in major league history. and from an exhilarating high to a terrifying low between the los angeles angels and the cleveland indians, an angels player tried to score and accidentally kicked the umpire in the head. there it is. it caused a gash across the umpire's face. ouch. he didn't move for a few minutes. you can see the injury and he did leave the field on his own power. all of them must step up the game now that melky cabrera has been suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs. hear from a teammate and the apology at 8:25. the annual grape harvest in

napa and sonoma county is underway. growers are really excited about this year's crops. after years of disappointing harvest, the warm, sunny weather we've had this summer has helped the grapes to mature. the winemakers say this is one of the best groups -- best crops in years. >> we really are looking towards a spectacular vintage and i'm very excited to be making wine from this fruit. right now, the grapes are those for sparkling wines. the grapes for red and white wines won't be ready for three or four more weeks. well, they are spending thousands of dollars despite imagine poor problems. ktvu uncoverses what is costing -- uncovers what is costing the city of san francisco college thousands. we have some crowded conditions. but we have nice surprises on some commutes. i will tell you about that in the next traffic update.

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well, city college of san francisco faces serious financial problems. ktvu has uncovered new information about school spending. the school's interim chancellor, pamela fisher, has been on the job since may. she commutes from her home in montana. expense reports show city college pays for her airfare, taxis, meals, and rent which is more than $5,000 a month. she's also paid a salary of $276,000 a year.

>> i think it's huge that we would put ourselves in that position, knowing that we don't have the money for certain major resources that we need here. >> fisher was not available to comment. the acreditting commission found the commission -- found the commission spends 92% of their budget on. governor jerry brown has officially launched his campaign for a ballot measure to raise taxes. the governor said yesterday that proposition 30 asks the most privileged people in the state to pay more to prevent three weeks from peaking cut -- being cut from the school year. he also says $500,000 could be put from higher education if the measure does not pass. this would raise income tax on couples making $500,000 or more for seven years but also raise

the sales tax by -- by 25%. let's check in with sal. >> if you are driving into san francisco, the traffic is gonna be faithed here on 280 which normally is better than 101. i don't think -- gonna be i acted if -- gonna be affected here on 280 which normally is better than 101. you might want no use other streets and avoid 280. the fire department is there. they are waiting for the medics coming in. they are waiting in. it's a motorcycle crash. let's go to the toll plaza. that traffic is light. let's go to mark. hi there, sal. good morning to you. once again, we're tracking low clouds and fog. it's been pushing back in the bay over the last two or three hours. some overcast to deal with.

it will clear back into the afternoon hours. here is the current fog pattern with the fog around san francisco, oakland, fremont, even the east bay, right around pleasanton and livermore, a few patches there. as far as the forecast for faud, definitely you want to bundle up if you are heading to the coast. temperatures on the cool side. a little bit of recovery into the afternoon hours. around the bay, more sunshine. temperatures on track to reach the low 70s to low 80s. temperatures warming back up. it will be warmer than yesterday. uner 80s to lower 90s. these numbers will check in right around 3:00, 4:00 in the afternoon. san jose, 82, santa rosa, 84. here is a look ahead to your five-day forecast -- with your weekend always in view, temperatures hold steady into friday. a few extra clouds as we head into saturday. cooling by sunday. another forecast check and the law toe weekend look coming up at 8:27. a groping incident outside

of a sonoma safeway store. why investigators say this could be effected to other incidents. police in one bay area city is looking for a person they say is responsible for several armed robberies. i will show you where and show you the surveillance video -- just ahead. and how car registration cheats are costing california millions of dollars. the chp says you can help stop it. [ female announcer ] these are the crescents you love on a holiday. and these are the ones you'll love on a school night. pillsbury crescent dogs

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welcome back. time now, 8:30. the continuing police search this morning for a serial armed robbery suspect in the redwood city area. ktvu's paul chambers live to tell us how many times police think this suspect has struck in that area. paul? >> reporter: good morning, dave. now, police released some very

high quality surveillance video where you can clearly see the suspect's face. i will show that to new a moment. take a look. in bakery right here, police say it was robbed last wednesday. the next day, you can look down the street, police say this store was struck about, a block away. now, take a close look for yourself at the surveillance video. this is the man police believe is responsible for at least five armed robberies since august 7th. you can see he's wearing a new york yankees' hat. just two days ago, this restaurant was the latest to be robbed. investigators say around 8:15 that night, the suspect walked into the restaurant with a handgun and demanded cash from the clerk. he then left on foot. this same man is believed to be connected to other armed robberies, including an establishment along the road

and another restaurant -- raut. he was armed -- another restaurant. he was armed with a handgun in each case and it's unknown how much cash he got away with. he's 5'8", 5'10". he's armed and police want your help getting him off the streets. if you recognize this man, you are asked to call redwood police. paul chambers, ktvu channel 2 news. 8:31. a man suspected of groping a woman in a safeway parking lot in sonoma county is now facing charges. 36-year-old samuel lyons was arrested tuesday, just minutes after that incident was reported. he was already wanted in connection with another groping incident. he is suspected in the leaked sexual battery of a teenager. investigators are trying to figure out if lyons was involved in others. well, joseph naso, it

appears, needs a legal add visor. in -- adviser. in court yesterday, he says he fired his legal adviser. he wants the county to pay for another one for him. the county says he's a millionaire and doesn't qualify. the trial is due to begin in november. police say three young women were sexually assaulted between saturday and early sunday morning at this outlands festival. investigators say alcohol and drugs were involved. >> we believe that our victims were of the state of mind to give consent to have any type of sexual intercourse. >> the special victims' unit has requested dna and evidence from the person of interests

and the victims. investigators are also preparing to contact the organizers. civil rights attorney john burris has filed a lawsuit on behalf of eight people who claim they suffered health problems related to that refinery fire. he says more than 1,000 people have called his office and that he's heading autopsy group of lawyers to prepare a class action lawsuit -- heading una group of lawyers to prepare a class action lawsuit. the chp wants your help finding those people who have not registered their vehicles or illegally registered their vehicles. those people are actually short- changing the state of california millions of dollars. some drivers don't register their vehicles here in the state because of the high fees. but the law says new residents only have 20 days to register their car after they move to california. chp is behinding everybody you can report any offending

driver's information right to the chp website and that the chp will track them down. well, the giants are going to have to play the rest of the season without one of their biggest stars. melky cabrera has been suspended for 15 games without pay for testing positive for illegal steroids. his teammates must move forward without hill. >> we've been through this before. we know -- without him. >> we've been through this before. we know what we have to do. we believe in ourself and our team. >> there are 44 games left in the giants' regular season. cabrera could come back if he makes a deep season run. now, cabrera has already apologized for miss actions. he released this statement saying, "my positive test result was the result of my using a substance i should not have used. i'm deeply sorry for my mistake

and i apologize to my teammates, to the san francisco organization and to the fans for letting them down." >> we've posted more about this story on our website and other players testing positive for banned drugs. that's all at ktvu.com. sal knows everything you need to know about the commute. how are we looking? >> well, we're looking okay. just got an interesting call from san francisco police saying there is -- or they are responding to a fight over a traffic collision between a bike and a car. apparently someone is upset and kicking the car. marin street to bayshore, to 101 at ceaser chaves. so watch for police activity in that area. san francisco itself, not doing that well. there's an injury crash involving a motorcyclist 280 at 6th street, injury crash there with the fire department and medics aamong with chp on the scene -- along with chp on the

scene. let's go to the bay bridge. it's lighter than it normally is. if you are driving on the 280 freeway or the santa clara valley, that's been better than normal getting into the valley. 8:36. here's mark. hi there, sal. good thursday morning. we're tracking a blanket of low clouds and fog. increasing in coverage. that will be a factor this morning. we do have partly sunny skies well inland. but here's the latest on the satellite showing you the clouds over san francisco, oakland, hayward, fremont, down to mountain view and san jose, even a good portion of the north bay up to san jose, reporting mostly cloudy skies last check. forecast headlines for today, we do have this -- with the clouds this morning, they will be warming up, a nice recovery in the afternoon. tomorrow, partly cloudy skies, except we increase the high clouds by mid to late afternoon. the clouds will linger into saturday. current numbers, not warming up too much. you can see the 50s and 60s. san jose, 62.

concord, 59 and santa rosa right around 54. high pressure returns a little bit today. it strengthens slightly. a little bit in the bump of the numbers for today that. means warmest locations around 92, 94. high clouds developing to the south. saul associated with -- all associated with tropical depression hector. this is all wrapping around this area of low pressure as we head into friday afternoon. with that, we've picked up the cloud cover. it will feel humid out there. there is a very slight chance of an isolated thunderstorm developing. that will be for friday night into saturday morning. for this afternoon, we're gonna have some fog hugging the coast side and here we go with that big batch of lie clouds. you will notice showers developing out toward lake tahoe by 4:00 and then saturday morning, a solid deck of overcast and then gradually moving out by late saturday afternoon into the night. lake tahoe has a good chance

for thunderstorms on friday, a slight chance for saturday afternoon and then temperatures in the 80s. back in the bay area for today, the clouds pull back to the shore line. partly sunny skies for san francisco. and these temperatures up over a notch. warmest locations inland, beefs, bring the showers and the jacket. high clouds for friday into saturday with your weekend always in view. some gradual cooling over the weekend. well, high winds forced the cancellations of plans tho fog an area of antioch last night to spread the control of mosquitoes that may be spreading the west nile virus. now officials say they are gonna focus on treating storm drains after mosquito samples and 14 dead birds tested positive for west nile virus in contra costa county. the virus is more prevalent in dallas this year and the mayor is now declaring a state of

emergency to combat the spread of infections. officials say spraying is most effective in fighting the mosquitoes that carry the disease. nearly half of the 693 humane cases of west nile virus reported to the cdc this year have been in texas. 8:39. well, california lawmakers are considering changing the name of the department of fish and game to cal wild. supporters say doing that would make the department consistent with other state agencies like caltrans and calfire. this proposal has passed in the state assembly but some state senators say this is just a waste of taxpayers' money. one report says that changing the department's -- the department's website and designing a new logo would cost about $250,000. well, some restaurant customers who get rid of their cell phones when they eat at one particular los angeles restaurant will actually get a discount. the owner of the restaurant eva says the goal is to create a

place where people connect face to face instead of with their cell phones. he says about half of his customers go cell phone-free and in exchange, he gives them a 5% discount. well, there's a new recall to tell you about. 4million baby chairs. the bumbo baby seats are designed to be used on the floor. but some families actually put them up on tables and in beds. that means the baby sometimes can wiggle out of the chairs and fall. at least 20 children have suffered fractured skulls. well, the maker of this popular chair it will provide a kit to have a strap that keeps the kids buckled into place. you can get more information by going to our website, ktvu.com. click on the web links web links. >> reporter: we're live at san francisco city hall where a

very important decision regarding the future of the sheriff happens today. very long line of people waiting to get into this hearing. we'll talk to one of them -- coming up. salesman: oh, well, it's wife: well really easy. tell me... [ting] ♪

child: ya, ya ya... [crash] child: mom! [ting] ♪ all right. you are taking a live look at the big board.

you can see the dow is up, about 44 points. kind of a flat opening. cisco is up but walmart, down just by about 3% this morning. well, first-time claims for unenemployment insurance inched up slightly. the labor department reports that 360,000 people foiled. it's still in the range that economists say signals modest job growth. there is a special job fair in the south bay today. it's being hosted by the agency in san jose. it runs from 10:00 this morning until 2:00 this morning at the santa clara county social services. let's bring you up to date on some of the top stories we're following -- seven

american soldiers and four afghans were killed in a had ther crash in the kandahar province. nato is investigating why this crash happened. they are not blaming the taliban yet who said they shot down the helicopter. in about 15 minutes from right now, close, arguments -- closing arguments begin in the ethics hearing for suspended sheriff ross mirkarimi. ktvu's tara moriarty is there in san francisco. the commission is expected to announce a very critical decision. tara? >> reporter: that's right, and a lot of the people that are

here are medicals of the public. this is an ectremely long like. a lot of these people are waiting to get their chance to come on in and take a listen to what happens during the hearing. we've seen a lot of ross supporters. there is a ross supporter t- shirt. let's talk to some people. why are you here today? >> i need to make sure that we hold voters accountable. i believe in holding the accountability means that they need to accept the impact of their violence. ross mirkarimi is -- needs to be held accountable. >> reporter: and you will get a chance to speak before the commission, in about two, three hours. this recommendation by the ethics commission is not one

that will come quickly. in about 15 minutes attorneys for measure merck and the city will -- mirkarimi and the city will get 15 minutes and then the commission will get a chance to ask questions, the public -- the public will get a chance to speak. this whole ordeal stems from a new year's eve incident where he ended up bruising her arm, his wife's arm. he was convicted of merchandise false imprisonment. misdemeanor false imprisonment. once the commission's report is turned to the board, supervisors will have 30 days to make a decision and that should come in october. we're live at city hall, i'm tara moriarty, ktvu channel 2 news. 8:48. in just the last half-hour, calfire just sent us new information about the wildfires in lake and colusa counties, they are now 80% contained and

full containment, now expected by sunday. more than 900 firefighters are on the scene, more than 100 fire engines are out there battling the flames. highway 20 is open to restricted speed traffic in both directions. all evacuation orders have been lifted. now, the walker and the wye fires started last sunday from unknown cause us. they burned about 7900 acres. two homes and an outbuilding have been destroyed. two more residents have been damaged. a big move for a restaurant in china. >> the new resident is an 18-00 pound bronze belt. he searched all over china for his restaurant opening up in the westfield shopping center in san francisco and he found

this bell that was supposed to go to a buddhist temple but when it was too heavy to make it up to the floor, it was said to be melted down. now it begins the treed just -- tedious trip to the location, the restaurant/bar. >> a structural engineer, a rigging company, special rigging that we are performing at the site as we speak. >> seems to be -- seems to beer replaceable. so we'll -- irreplaceable. so we'll do our best. >> in is a rendition that will hang other -- this is a rendition that will hang over the bar. now, martin's new restaurant is set to open up in october. reporting live in the newsroom, i'm pam cook, let's go over to claudine. we do have breaking news for you. we have an update to a story we

first told but yesterday morning on the morning news. a woman who was reported missing in petaluma has been found safe. 19-year-old elise hayes was reported missing earlier in week after she left home without telling her family where she was going. heys does have a medical dna -- heys does have a medical -- heys does have a medical condition. -- hayes does have a medical condition. they promptly took our kuhn yun -- took our union contract and threw it in the trash can. this was a contract that we m for over 40 years. >> now, the demonstrators out there say that management refused to recognize the union contract that gov earns many hotel workers after the hotel was auctioned -- governs many hotel workers after the hotel was auctioned off -- auctioned off.

the spokesman for the company that owns the hotel has made no comment yet about in protest. 8:51. downtown petaluma is brilling with support for its young athletes in the little league world series. >> i'm so excited about this, since the get-go. it's just been -- i can't believe it. >> i'm excited too. we're gonna take you there live as the team prepares for its first game in the tournament. >> we're watching our commute. sal will have an update on your commute 679

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a napa state hospital worker is recovering this morning after getting attacked by a patient. breaking news. officials say the patient grabbed the workers's lan yard and then used -- lanyard and then used it it took comb -- used it to choke him. we have no further information. petaluma, pulling out all of the stops supporting their team who will play in the world series. alex savidge is live outside of the movie theater that will be showing the game on the big screen. >> reporter: well, good morning. the little world series is being played in williamssupport, pennsylvania -- williams port, pennsylvania. it prom -- williamsport, pennsylvania. they are expecting as many as

500 people to be onstand for this. >> called out! the game's over! [ cheers ] >> unbelievable! >> reporter: this past weekend, the petaluma national league beat hawaii to win the west region and then they headed off to pennsylvania for the world series. this is a team made up of 12- year-olds and 13-year-old boys. most of them go to petaluma junior high school. they are the first team to make it to the world series since 2002. it is certainly a proud moment for the twin brother of one of the team's stint coaches. he says the boys are feeling confident on this big stage -- stint coaches -- assistant coaches. he says the boys are feeling confident on this big stage. >> they do have a few kids that are sick. one of them hopes to get an opportunity to play today. for the most part, they are just kids having a great time. >> reporter: people here in petaluma have been closely

following the little leaguers during their incredible run in the series. they are one of 16 teams who made it to the little league world series. and that's amazing when you consider there are over 4,000 teams across the country. this is a double elimination tournament. later at noon, they play the team from fairfield, connecticut. and this theater will be packed with people, rooting for the little leaguers, the hometown lightning leaguers, the pride of pet -- the hometown lightning legallers, the -- the hometown little leaguers. >> we're rooting for them. let's check traffic one more time. how are we looking? >> we're not all that bad. i think you will be happenpy. not a lot of crowd -- happy not a lot of crowding. 280 extension at 6th street. there is a motorcycle accident there. either way, it won't be looking that great getting into

downtown san francisco. it's 8:57. let's go to mark. we're tracking the clouds and fog. still a few leftover patches. warm temperatures inland. a few extra patches friday afternoon. i will have an update on the forecast in a few hours. >> good surfing weather. >> great surfing weather. >> yeah. that's our report for this morning. we thank you for trusting ktvu news. we'll see you the next time news breaks. and just a reminder, the ross mirkarimi hearing is beginning soon. we'll be streaming that live at ktvu.com. and it will also be on at ktvu.com mobile. so you can check in on that. thank you for joining us this morning.

hello, everyone. i'm beth troutman. it's time for videos first, "right this minute." a guy named jake sees his stolen bike on craigslist. >> so jake has put together a sting. >> how he lured the suspect into a web for police. >> i was scared, but you know what, sometimes you've just got to do the right thing. are animals suffering at marineland? a former staffer claims things are so bad that video shows -- >> at ti