david louie has been talking with tesla and to auto tech experts about the risk of fire and he is live for us tonight in san jose. david? >> reporter: hi, dan. you know, lithium ion batteries are used in a number of electric vehicles, but when they catch fire in such a dramatic way, they grab a lot of attention and raise lots of concerns about their safety. the intensity of these battery fires and the hours it takes to extinguish them are no surprise even to tesla. the electric car maker has posted an emergency guide for first responders, how to handle battery fires. this 2016 manual is current and instructs firefighters to use large amounts of water. the santa clara fire department used foam as well. >> foam allows you to use less water to extinguish the same volume of fire and it provides a smothering blanket as well. >> reporter: lithium ion batteries can create fires when they short circuit or damage. built-in cooling systems are supposed to prevent overheating that can prevent fires. michael hernandez teaches automotive technology in san jose. >> so if it starts getting hot, they

in san jose david louie abc7 news. >>> a sea lion rescued in monterey county was set free. releasing spruce at rodeo beach this morning. spruce was one of 300 sea lions found with a bacteria infection that harms the kidneys and could be deadly. also recruiting cruising. he was liking separated from his mother had a young age. >>> many people starting to take down their holiday decorations. in san francisco there is a green way to get rid of your christmas tree. abc7 news was at civic center plaza when public workers showed up and showed how thousands of trees will be chipped. leave your tree on regular garbage pickup days but not until january. >> they can be used for la landscaping and otherses. so they d'tnd somewhere ese in our streets or starting fires. >>> we have compiled a list for recycling during the holiday season. a lot of does and don'ts. it is called recycling resources and search the word recycling on abc7news.com and that is figure of 500 tons was from last christmas. >> well if your tree is outside, it is getting blown around. >> it is really windy. >> and c

david louie, "abc7 news." >>> a san jose church pastor has been killed in a skiing accident. krig the senior pastor shared news of the loss saying his writing and speaking ministry has helped countless homes and lives around the world. he will be missed as a pastor, leader, and teacher. but most of all as our friend. he leaves behind a wife and three kids. >>> a morgan hill mushroom grower is being accused of dumping toxic waste water into a creek that ended up in san francisco bay. a $67 million civil complaint was filed against monterey mushrooms. this happened here highway 101. here's melanie woodrow. >> reporter: the santa clara county district attorney's office say these pictures show waste water being dumped into fisher creek. >> they knew what they were doing. >> reporter: denise robbie is a deputy district attorney in the environmental protection unit. >> the case was brought to our attention from the california department of fish and wildlife in early 2016. >> reporter: fish eer creek flo into coyote creek, which flows into the san francisco bay. >> it's a source of

in san jose, david louie, "abc7 news." >>> happening tonight, the official release party for resilience support survivors of the campfire. it ranks as the most destructive and deadliest fire in state history. brerat aee was given to any 100% of proceeds to the campfire fund. >>> a chance to get into the holiday spirit at pier 39. >> everything from a new tree lighting show, and more excitement in the new year. >> spencer christian is out there live for us tonight, having fun. hi, spencer. >> reporter: definitely having fun here at pier 39. joining me is john altar, who is the owner of the flyer in san francisco. i won't even be in to try to describe what it is. >> it's nice to be here. the flyer san francisco is a new amusement park ride and experience on pier 39. we're opening at the beginning of 2019, but are opening for a sneak peek over the holidays. >> reporter: is the experience for people to soaring, is it something like that? >> it's a little bit like that. ettr in, and someater. people can be as high as 22 feet off the ground. while in your seats, your seat also move and you're

in san jose, david louie, "abc 7 news". >> amazing how intense those flames are. david, thank you very much. >>> well, for the first time tonight we are hearing from two local people who say they are victims in a nationwide student loan debt relief scheme. >> yeah, the federal trade commission shut down amayor ter financial with an injunction and the ceo is facing criminal fraud charges as well. >> thousands of consumers tell the ftc they paid them thousands of dollars and are further in student loan debt. >> melanie woodrow has been following the story for weeks now and she is here with a story you will see only on "abc 7 news". melanie. >> dan and ama, a recent interview with an employee caught the attention of the federal trade commission. they in turn sent out an e-mail to victims asking them to contact me here at "abc 7 news" if they were interested in sharing their stories. people we spoke with say they feel humiliated and taken. nikia warren and andre arch bald are two of more than 2,000 consumers who contacted the federal trade commission to complain about

. >> "abc 7 news" reporter david louie tells us why they will be missed. >> thank you. >> reporter: it is a time for goodbyes that include handshakes and hugging. two brothers, harry and robert salatian, immigrated from the middle east in the 1970s and achieved the american dream after buying a shoe repair shop on san mateo's 25th avenue. >> they come from syria and it is a troubled place, but they managed to get their whole family out. >> yes. >> reporter: putting in many 14-hour days, they quickly developed a reputation for top quality work. >> you don't want to give up, and they've been able to repair them and make them like new. >> reporter: they used only quality european leather soles and kept century-olds machines working to do stitching and polishing. >> we take care of them properly and use the best material. we don't cut corners, so that's why they like us. >> reporter: three customers have been with them for four decades. >> they must love your work. >> my work and me too. >> reporter: they use best quality leather soles from italy and germany. police trusted them to fix des

david louie, abc 7 news. >>> a facial salen will take over the shoe repair shop store front preponderatens to travel in retirement with his wife. the older robert will move closer to his daughter. >>> an expanded program to combat drunk driving in california goes into effect new year's day. senate bill 1046 requires ignition interlock devices for all repeat dui offenders and first time offenders who want to continue to drive rather than have a suspended license. a driver has to blow into the device to check blood alcohol levels for the car to start. >> ignition interlock devices ar a game changer. in the fight to stop the revolving door of repeat offenders. >> an interlock pilot program has been in effect in some california counties since e dec people from cringing and driving more than a million times. every year in california drunk driving kills 1,000 people and injures 20,000d otherbc 7 morni final preparations for the rose parade on fleers day. a preview of the gloerl floats ready for the ride. but first a live look outside from the golden gate bridge camera. you can see the sun out,

investigation says they have not determined the battery fire that destroyed this tesla model much s david louie talked with a c concerned fire chief. >> reporter: in the case of electric car battery fires. saying they are so intense, he is calling for change. >> there is now enough examples here that have happened locally and around the world that in the design phase, something needs to be changed, need to be marked for identification. >> reporter: a burning lithium battery. seven times more than a typical fire engine carries. they may be more concerned with keeping batteries dry. >> there needs to be standards out there so those common practice if a specific way that we can deal with putting out certain types of fire. >> reporter: a few years ago, improvements were made. electric cars are more challenging because their batteries designed to provide high voltage. >> there are advances working with battery chemistries and battery containment. >> reporter: notelectrical vehis can configure their batteries in the same way. there might be a call for standardization. >>> menlo firefighters demonstra

david louie, "abc7 news." >>> b.a.r.t.se many are taking ridesharing services to local airports instead of trains. ridership has plunged 10% since peaking in 2013. that's a loss of $4 million in fares. business has fallen 6% for oakland's airport connecter. b.a.r.t. opens an appappappp discount also make it more competitive. >>> an estimated 1700 scooters have landed on city streets this year. san jose currently has no rules about these scooters. so tomorrow, the city council will consider issuing permits that companies would have to buy to operate in san jose. >>> google plans to spend more than $1 billion to expand its operations in new york city. the mountain view based tech giant will call its new campus google hudson square. several thousand google employees already work in new york. they intend to move into their campus by 2020. google's move follows amazon revealing it would build one of its second headquarters in new york's city borough of queens. >> the rain is gone. we have some beautiful sunsets there. >> stunni

"abc 7 news" reporter david louie is live at chp redwood city office which is actually handling the investigation. david. >> reporter: well, you're right, ama. the accident happened in the northbound lanes of highway 85 in the los altos area. when chp arrived the driver was nowhere to be found. it turns out that he apparently walked about a mile away from the accident scene, climbed up an embankment where he was later found dead. it took relatives to locate the body of a driver involved in a vehicle accident. they called chp this morning to report the body had been found in the vegetation along highway 85 in los altos, about a mile north of where his toyota suv had been involved in an accident christmas night. >> we're still trying to piece together how they became aware of this and why they took it upon themselves to come out here and look for their family member. >> reporter: chp officers found the suv but no driver when they responded christmas night around 6:30. this stretch of the west valley freeway has no streetlights and only a narrow shoulder. it would have been dark at the time of the a

abc 7 news reporter david louie has the story from san mateo. >> came in to say goodbye. >> thank youextreme of longtime customers have been filing since. they kept the name of a previous owner when they took over 39 years ago. the brothers are immigrants are syria. harry came first and his older berry. they put in 14 hour days and developed a reputation for repairing shoes and leather goods. >> you get favorite pairs of shoes you don't want to give up. he has always been able to repair them and make them like new. >> three women have been customers since the beginning. >> they must love your work. >> my work and me too. >> they inherited and managed to maintain century old cobbler machinery that stitched soles and polish shoes sadly there is no market to sell thp with consumers switched to shoes the made with synthetic material cheaper to repair. they used the best quality materials from germany and italy. sports figures such as formerer 49ers allen kennedy and tom brady's family are commerce. also abc 7 news anchor kristin sze. >> the mother-in-law send her over i died her wedding s

in san francisco, david louie, 7 news. >> facial salen will take over the store front.ravel in retirement and the older brother will move to los angeles to be closer to his daughter. >> stepping in the tich with a passionate bay area chef how he elps others whip up a new career. but first a look outside from the abc 7 roof camera. time is 6:37. a chilly start to saturday morning. lisa argen has the full forecast in just a few minutes. >>> also, abc 7 has more news weather and local hot topics coming your way. abc 7 news at 11:00 a.m. is expanding to a full hour at midday live. join the team every weekday at it gives you super fast speeds for all your devices, xfinity xfi. a more powerful way to stay connected. enhanced coverage, and lets you control your network with the xfi app. it's the ultimate wifi experience. xfinity xfi. simple. easy. awesome. xfinity xfi gives you the speed, coverage and control you need. manage your wifi network from anywhere when you download the xfi app today. >>> good morning, everyone. time right now is 6:40. we are looking live outside from

"abc 7 news" reporter david louie explains what that difference means. >> reporter: yeah, an estimated 215,000 vehicles will be forced back into regular traffic lanes in two weeks because they don't have red stickers like this one. hov or diamond lanes have become jammed as more drivers switch to clean air vehicles, so the state decided only 2017 and newer models qualify. justin saddlemyer laments he is losing access because he drives an older tesla. >> i have one of the earlier ones, no self-driving or cool features but it is still electric and good for the ecology and great on money and gas savings, but it is too old. it won't qualify anymore. >> reporter: while green and white stickers are out, another color will join red stickers. beginning next month the dmv will issue a brand-new light purple decal valid for five years through january 1, 2023. >> the change is stimulating last-minute sales of electric and hybrid vehicles at the chevrolet dealer in san jose. >> as long as they have the sticker, that's all they care about. >> reporter: most in demand are last year's models that qua

in san jose, david louie, abc 7 news. >>> in the south bay, a 13-year-old boy is on a mission to bringother kids he has never even met. over the years he has collected thousands of toys for toys for tots. and this year he hit a new personal report. for the past six years, joey childs of san jose has spent his winters collecting for toys for tots. >> it's been just absolutely amazing. i mean, everyone is just so nice. and they care about in re community. they care about everyone else. >> joey's toy drive gross every year. abc. 7 nuts was there as joey and his close friends led up the truck to bring these donations to the marine corps. the team effort led by the 13-year-old who collected more than 1,500 toys this season >> just a good warm hearted boy. wanting to do right for others and for the community to help others is in his soul. >> at the dropoff and distribution site local toys for tots organizers are grateful for joey's support. >> it speaks volumes to who he is and his family. and what he stands for. we are appreciate zblef for this marine, a personal connection to the cause. >>

david louie went to san jose and found boutiques and gift stores see a surge in traffic. >> clothinge shops along lincoln avenue in willow glenn know the competition. deb by lawrence is probably a fairly typical consumer. >> i do 60% online and 40% in store. >> but the balance shifts because the window has closed for online sites to guarantee delivery by christmas eve. means customers show up at stores to make last minute gift purchases. a san francisco for some. >> yeah, you have to get dressed and leave the house. so there is a perk to staying home and shopping online. but it's nice to get out and see people shopping. and support the local stores. >> daisy an 11-year-old hound mix embraces support for local shops getting treats when she shops here and she enjoying sniffing for good deals. >> we give them all a treat. every time a dog comes in they get a treat. >> that doesn't happen online. >> no it doesn't. >> daisy's human says supporting the local shops support local jobs. >> if we don't participate and go to local stores and buy from them they quickly disappear. it's proven its

at nasa ames, david louie, abc news. >> if you happen to be heading to yosemite, the highway has reopened. the closure covered the area around the ferguson fire burn scar. it was a good thing it was closed because several mudslides were report and debris from heavy rain and flooding littered the highway yesterday, but the road is now clear. >>> if you're heading to the sierra, definitely bring your chains. noun required right now, but according to caltrans, 18 inches of snow are forecast for the passes overnight, so be ready for the snow if you're headed that way. rerts were reporting 1 to 3 feet of snow and still counting, which is great. as you take a look at live doppler f everyone. here's where we stand for the edmonton of november. we're doing good when you to that comparison. 130% of average. 127, oakland. you'll notice san jose about 102% of normal for the month of november. rainfall season to day, did that recent storm help to push our percentage of normal up? 93 in santa rosa. concorde, 147% of average. we still have a long ways to go obviously for the rest of the season, so hope

"abc 7 news" reporter david louie is live from san jose with the advantage this gives local stores. well, dan and ama, we are talking about an estimated 134 million people going out to do their last-minute shopping tomorrow. that will be a real shot in the arm for small shops and in districts such as willow glen here in san jose, but it also will give shoppers an opportunity to touch and feel products before they buy them, something they can't do online. clothing in gift shops along lincoln avenue in willow glen know where the competition is. debbie lawrence is a typical consumer. >> i probably do about 60 person line and 40% in stores. >> reporter: but the balance shifts because the window has mostly closed for online sites to guarantee delivery by christmas eve. it is a sacrifice for some to show up in stores. >> you have to get dressed and leave the house, so there's a part to staying home and shopping online, but it is nice to get out and see people shopping and support the local stores. >> reporter: daisy, an 11-year-old hound mix, embraces support for local shops. she gets trea

david louie visits a home. >> reporter: they ee teaming with volunteers. 12 of them in red t-shirts aret that has been providing solar panels to low income families for 14 years. a typical installation costs about $30,000. here's who can apply. >> 80% of the lower median average income. you have to have a rooftop that makes sense for solar and there has to be a benefit. your utility has to be high enough to milwaukee it worth it. >> reporter: emily used to be a set designer. >> i wanted to have a career in renewable internal and i was looking for a place that aligned with my mission, personal mission to help people -- help low income families and underserved kmunltdss. >> reporter: thbank of merge ga grid $500,000. >> most of the time we're working with clients. but this is exciting to come out and learn the skills of the job and help a family get a solar pam here. >> reporter: by the tiemt the solar system is turned on, the family expected to see a savings of about $42 a month on their utility bill. >> thank you, david. >>> a reminder you can get updates with enhanced features and more

in san jose, david louie, "abc 7 news." >> david, thanks very much. >>> you should know, department stores are also drawing big crowds. maybe you know if you were out today. "abc 7 news" reporter melanie woodrow spent the afternoon with shoppers in san francisco's union square. >> reporter: union square is bustling with knock out their shopping list before it is too late. >> i do it every year at this time and i do all of my follow-up last-minute christmas shopping. >> reporter: she says she is not an online shopper. >> because i like to feel, touch, hold what i buy first. >> reporter: she is not alone. tony mott visiting from china bought his wife a luxury handbag. >> reporter: gucci, she will be happy with it. >> e on, yes. >> reporter: she is the executive director of the union square business improvement district. >> we heard from a handful of retailers business is up over last year. >> reporter: not only up from last december but up from last month as well. >> the air quality was bad because of the fires up north. >> reporter: karen says the busiest time here at union square have been

abc 7 news reporter david louie in san jose with more. david? >> reporter: hi, larry. small shopkeepers are getting a nice gift -- a holiday gift from their online competition. major delivery services say that the door has closed or is about to close on guaranteed delivery by christmas day. so that means that boutiques and gift shops along the street and many others are getting a real boost. it is four days of holiday bliss for small shops on main street. last-minute shoppers are pouring into stores because with few exceptions, the window has closed for guaranteed doorstep delivery of gifts purchased online. >> it is going to be a very busy -- probably the busiest season of the year. >> kim has been here for 15 years and including online. her shop gussied up could fill the purchase that online can't. >> the window closed now. >> i know that. in fact, there is something i ordered that i don't think i'm going to get for christmas. >> reporter: online shoppers tell us they know what they want and are looking for a low price but retail customers may find tempted by impulse

at "nasa aims" i'm david louie. >>> delta air lines has the fir first airport terminal to use facialers from the terminal to gate. they say that jackson hartsfield is going to be fully equipped to allow people to board by just posing for a photo. the u.s. border and protection compares that photo with passport photos to identify the identities. very cool. stil same haircut. the style making one salon social media famous. and here is a beautiful live look from our santa cruz camera. it is a lighthouse and the sunrise this morning. lisa argen is going to have your ve america. land of blue jeans. and burgers. and while blue jeans got all skinny on us... i can't feel my legs. ...no way are we giving up on burgers. that's why i created the all-american ribeye burger, made with 100% ribeye beef, ribeye burgers are back, america. ♪thisi'm gonna let it shine. ♪ it's energy saving time, ♪ i'm gonna reduce mine. ♪ californians all align ♪ to let our great state shine. ♪ let it shine, ♪ the power's ours to let it shine! ♪ try my all-american made with 100% ribeye beef fresh spring mix, and prov

david louie reports from valley that the u.s.advantage. >> reporter: this week, a lockheed martin lander touched ground on mars this week. nasa hopes lit deliver payloads to the moon. and lockheed space systems is one of the nine companies selected to deliver the landers. >> one thing that you absolutely don't need is a big aeroshield like we had when we went through the subterranean areas of mars. so it is what type of payload we will have go g ing on top of th landers. >> reporter: the first payloads will consist of experiments from nasa and academia and private industry. humans will follow destine odd for the moon and mars. james is a researcher with nasa >> you are only three days away from the moon, so if something goes wrong, you can bring folks back, but it is a much different journey to mars where you have to make sure that your systems will operate. >> reporter: it takes seven months to get to mars. japan and the eope m to mars. over 50 in all, and only the u.s. has landed successfully eight times. to put in perspective,

abc 7 news reporter david louie shows us how more than 11,000 homes have become sustainable. >> don'tis home it the latest of about 11,000 to get a free residential solar system from grid alternatives, a bay area-based nonprofit that focuses on helping low-income families. over a than of 14 years, the program relied on volunteers and a small kaud ray of employees to do the heavy lifting, the design work and installation. many people have gathered to do the work under the guidance of supervisors part of a year long training program. >> they're on the roof and on the ground. training and leading the volunteers. so within their short time here less than a year, they're able to explain to groups of volunteers how to do it themselves. >> she used to be a set designer. >> i wanted a career in renewable energy. i was just looking for a place that aligned with my mission. personal mission to help low-income families in underserved communities. >> grid alternatives does about 1500 here and overseas. it typically costs about $30,000. over the projected life of the solar system, the family is ex

in east palo alto, david louie, "abc 7 news." >>> all right. stay with us. more to come.w have new competition. talking about cannabis lounges. >> yes, we will take you inside this budding business that's attracting visitors from all over the world. . >>> toys r us is closed but you can still find good old fashioned toy stores near you >>> state senator scott wiener is for the third time trying to get bars in the bay area the chance to stay open until 4:00 a.m. under the legislation, nine california cities would be able to create their own rules, including san francisco and oakland. the last version of his b tilhet governor brown vetoed it. >>> san francisco is already known for its lively bar scene, and now it has some new competition. cannabis dispensaries are opening pot lounges where people can buy weed and smoke it, too. >> that's right. abc 7 mornings anchor takes you inside in tonight's california cannabis launch report and shows you why they're getting so much attention. >> reporter: from the outside, the barbary coast looks like a trendy bar. inside, it is a thro

. >>> abc 7 news reporter david louie is also following this story. he's been talking to tesla and auto tech experts. his story coming up at 5:00. >>> happening tonight, a yemeni woman whose 2-year-old son is on life support in oakland is due to arrive in the bay area. she was grand granted a visa yesterday. her husband and son are u.s. citizens and have been in the bay area since august to get abdula better medical treatment for his rare brain disease. his family says the boy is dying and they're relieved his mother will be able to see him one last time. she received a waiver and is traveling on a visa which permits entry to close relatives of american citizens. >>> facebook stock dropped 7% today on a report that it let many companies read users' private messages. according to "the new york times," facebook shared data with more than 150 companies through apps on its platform, even if the users had disabled sharing as a feature. companies mentioned in the report included microsoft and netflix. now, netflix says it never accessed anybody's private me

abc 7 news reporter david louie went to san jose and found boutiques and gift stores seeing a surge in gifts shops along here know the competition. deb by lawrence is a typical consumer. >> i do 40% online and 6% in stores. >> the online sites can't guarantee delivery by christmas eve. that means shoppers show up at stores to make purchases. that's a sacrifice for some. >> you have to get dressed and leave the house. so there is a perk to staying home and shopping online but it's nice to get out and see people shopping. and support the local stores. >> daisy and 11-year-old hound mix embrace a support for local shops. she gets treats when she shops at gusty dup and enjoying the sniffing for good deals. >> every time the dog comes in they get a treat. >> that doesn't happen online. >> no it doesn't. >> daisy's human says that this supports local jobs. >> if we don't participate and go to local stores and buy from them they quickly disappear. it's proven out. it's important to support locals and for your own seven and the next generation it's a good thing. >> shop keepers say the next fe

david: okay. casey, thank you very much. for more now on the remarkable, and it really was a remarkable life. you think of everything he did from the age of 19, let's bring in congressman louie hampton cook, a white house staffer for president w. bush along with our panel. congressman, i want to start with the texas side of the whole thing. he wasn't a texan. he was a northeast guy born to a famous and well-off father, but he moved to texas, gave it all up and sort of became a texan. i think the fact that he had that can-do spirit really endured him to a lot of texans, no? >> he fit right in. you can't go to odessa in west texas without becoming a texas any time at all. just the fact that the day he turns 18 he goes and enlists and is going to be a pilot and served in the country, in our military, was shot down. i mean, it's an amazing story. and then all of the things he did, and yet as the different speakers pointed out, there probably wasn't a day that went by when he didn't wonder, you know, why me, lord? why was i spared? but we all know and we can look back at the road he traveled and see he made a difference. some said, you know, he was the perfect president. perhaps