eric thomas. >> dion lim. focused on the stories because one of the top concerns in effort to build a better bay area is public safety. neighborhood group in san francisco will hold a rally tomorrow to support that woman. >> yesterday judge christine van aiken ordered suspect to wear ankle bracelet, only after seeing video of the attack not initially played in cord. mayor london breed. >> fact he was released without a plan to get him help he needs not to do what he did again, that's what i'm concerned about. >> supervisor matt haney weighed it, it is unacceptable for people with severe mental illness to be released without treatment and monitoring. safe embarcadero starts beale street, against navigation center for homeless in their neighborhood. >> there's a proposal to build one in bay view. met with opposition from business owners in the area. lisa amin gulezian joins us to explain. >> the property is industrial, surrounded by warehouses and supply companies, also a lot of homeless already in the area. >>

eric thomas joins us live with more. eric? >> reporter: kristen sze, the good news it's only sizzling hot instead of blazing hot out here. we're at a costco store in san andro affected by the big power outage today when about 1700 customers were out. also in danville this week, 3,000 customers were out. also probably weather related. now, this was in the costco where abc7 mornings track producer tamly lee was inside when the power first went out in the food court, lights flickered and went ought all over the costco. people who paid were ushered out, people who were shopping had to leave, as well. there was no shopping there. as we mentioned 1700 customers out at the peak. last hour it was about 300. now tami describes what it was like trying to leave this place when everybody was being sent out at the same time. >> it took me about 25minutes to get out of this parking lot and try to get on surface streets. as i was driving by walmart was dark because they were piling out of that parking lot. >> when we see extreme heat, equip

good evening, i'm eric thomas. dion is off tonight. investigations are underway after accused sex trafficker and multi-millionaire jeffrey epstein was found dead in prison. >> reporter: jeffrey epstein's body in that van seen leaving the medical examiner's office today. abc news first to report the disgraced financier's death by hanging. staff at the metropolitan center discovering him at 6:39 this morning. they say they tried to revive him. paramedics later rushing him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. less than three weeks ago he was put on suicide watch after being found unresponsive in his cell with marks on his neck. but abc news learning more some reason he was taken off suicide watch nearly two weeks before his death. tonight some of his accusers like michelle say they are outraged. >> there were so many people that were looking forward to seeing him put behind bars for the rest of his life. >> reporter: and it's not only his accusers who are furious. attorney general william barr demanding an explanation. barr sayin

eric thomas joins us live from bent road with more. eric? >> reporter: this was the destination, the edna hill middle school. the young girl was still walking quite a ways to get here. our gps measured it at just under two miles from where the accident happened to the school here. kids were told about it and offered counseling today. these are the pictures parents dread at the start of every school year. in this case, a 12-year-old girl hit by an suv at the intersection of sunset road and trail side drive in brentwood this morning. >> officers administered first aid until paramedics could arrive. and they subsequently stabilized her at the scene and airlifted her to uc davis medical center. >> police say the driver left the scene but wauz caught a short time later. >> one of our officers being super alert and doing great old-fashioned police work was able to locate the vehicle and the suspect inside the vehicle. >> the female suspect was booked on felony hit-and-run and driving under the influence. the victim was making the long walk to edna

eric thomas spoke with a vet about his struggles. >>> the good news is eric taylor won't be will being in his rental car this week. instead the veterans support group swords to plow shares is putting him up in this hotel for one week. >> just to is have to go through this. >> spread out on his bed are letters, applications and responses from agencies he's contacted for housing help. >> no one expects to be in this situation but it happens. >> reporter: the veteran is disabled from a training injury that broke his lower back in the '80s. he lived in emeryville for 14 years till his landlord died and he moved to hayward and lives there for nine years il it the owner turned it into an airbnb. he has shuttled between motels and his car till it broke down since april. since then he's been renting to a car to get to the physical therapy appointments. last year he charged $8,000 for car rental, motel stays, gas, meals and bills. >> people say oh, thank you for your service. but give some vets a chance. >> does have a housing voucher from the veterans affairs support housing or vash program si

i'm eric thomas. thanks for joining us. dion is off tonight. the crash happened just before 9:00 last night at fifth and market in the city's tenderloin district. abc 7 news reporter luz pena went there today and talked to some witnesses. luz? >> reporter: we're learning more about this victim. according to the san francisco coroner's office, she was a 79-year-old woman. we spoke to witnesses tonight who said she was walking and collecting plastic bottles and cans minutes prior to getting struck by this taxi driver. the shopping cart flew several feet away from her. one of her shoes ended in the middle of market street. >> i heard a loud boom and then i seen a lady's cart right there. and then the car drove a few u the car. >> reporter: ivan bay ran toward the crash and called 911. 71-year-old eun yang of san francisco died at the scene. >> did the driver stop? >> he stopped and then i ran over to call the police and his passengers hopped out. >> reporter: san francisco police is investigating this cr

abc 7 news anchor eric thomas has local reaction to what's going on. >> companies that make cars, grow rice, sell crude oil and distill whiskey are likely to feel the pinch from the tariffs that china put on goods. the latest salvo firend n. a trade war. >> tariffs are much like taxes. >> a 5 to 10% charge will be added to goods shipped from america to china. one batch in september, another in december. >> in economics, there's a principle that taxes are always paid by both sides. by the producers and the consumers. >> president trump has been using tariffs on chinese goods sold in the u.s. to pressure china into ending what he's called unfair trade practices dating back decades. in retaliation, well, china slapped tariffs on california's agriculture industry, especially farmers who grow pistachios worth $663 million in sales in 2017. almonds accounting for more than $500 million in sale and california wines with more than $185 million in sales. >> whatever the product, grains, spirits or automobiles, chances are they'll have to go through the port of oakland to get to china. >> this c

eric thomas, abc7 news. >> it's hard to keep up. thank you. >>> a san francisco judge ruled today that the man seen on video attacking a woman must wear an ankle monitor. austin james vincent was not in court today. judge christine van akin does not believe public incarceration is the answer. the judge said she hadn't seen the video of the attack you're seeing here at the time of his last court hearing. > we argued against the release of the defendant for a variety of reasons and still believe that public safety depends that this individual be in a place which is in the best interests of the public safety. >> he's a model client. that's a decision the court made was to place him on case management and he's doing great there now. >> another hearing has been scheduled set for monday. >>> in the east bay, jury deliberations in the ghost ship trial will continue next week. yesterday jurors asked for a readback from witness carmen britto. jurors asked for testimony from witnesses ryan o'keefe, bouchard and derick almena. the jury returns

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live in brentwood, eric thomas, abc 7 news. >> eric, did school officials school this incident with the students? they could understandably be really shook up? >> reporter: i asked dr. dana eaton, the superintendent that question as well. he said they directly told students who share a class with the young girl, told them about what happene oer unli to anhoee it today. keep the counseling available for as long as it is needed. >> eric thomas reporting. thank you. >>> here is another reminder to be safe around schools and buses. look at this. a houston mother captured the moment her daughter was almost hit by a car getting off the school bus. >> leyla, come here. stop! >> oh, my gosh, the bus had the stop sign activated, the driver of the toyota just blew right past. the mother said it was home from school. she hopes it serves as a reminder for drivers to take it slow and stop when they see a school bus dropping off children. >> that video is frightening for anybody with kids. even if you don't. >>> more cars on the road combined with distracted driving could be an increas s.killedy aaa

i'm eric thomas. >> and i'm deanne limb. that happened at the intersection of geary boulevard and webster streak. luz pena was there. >> reporter: that's right. we are still learning more details. according to san francisco police, all started around 5:20 p.m. when one suspect was arrested and another fled the area. plain closes officers called for additional backup, and that's when the chase began down geary boulevard. a man can be seen laying on the ground behind an undercover police vehicle. according to the witness a man was being chased by two other police officers moments earlier. san francisco police confirmed this information. >> they were chasing two auto burglary suspects. during that time they called for additional units. at that time an unmarked police reporter: according to sfpd, a plain closes officer was chasing the suspect on foot before they were both struck by an unmarked vehicle on geary boulevard. >> that vehicle struck a police officer and the suspect. those two were taken to the hospital. the suspect wa

eric thomas live at the moxey warehouse with more. eric? >> reporter: larry, the best news is nobody was injured and there were people inside the building at the time of the fire. let's show you the 80-year-old third of the moxey warehouse all but destroyed. you see the ceiling collapsed and we see firefighters every once in awhile spraying hot spots. there are homes you can't see from here but very close nearby and that posed a problem for both residents and firefighters. the flames burned so hot and so high initially that the only thing some neighbors could think to do was run. >> we took the children out. the neighbor took her children out. everybody evacuated their houses. >> reporter: cindy and husband richard live across the street from the moxey. he's the building superintendent too overwhelmed to speak on camera but his wife says he sprang into action after a phone call telling him the place was on fire. >> my husband runs across the street and around to the front of the building no shoes on. he runs in there and hollers for everyon

abc7 news anchor eric thomas is live at sfo with more. eric. >> reporter: and ama, that best known name would be sully sullenberger. you'll hear from him in just a moment. the bottom line here is you're not supposed to have two airliners on the same runway at the same time. that's called a runway incursion. the congressman says that's up 83% over the past few years. but what actually triggered introduction of that legislation and in a two-year search for answers happened here on a july night in 2017. >>> most landings at sfo are routine. but on a july night two years ago, a near miss put hundreds of lives at risk. >> he's on the taxi way. >> reporter: on that night the pilot of an air canada jet miss took a tack taxi way for a runway and almost crashed into four jets with passengers on board. they barely pulled up in time. >> we can no longer define safety solely as the absence of accidents. >> reporter: retired airline pilot sully sullenberger of danville stood alongside the congressman as he unveiled his new bill, the safe landings act.

. >> abc 7 news eric thomas continues the live team coverage in walnut creek tonight, eric? >> reporter: dan, ama, it's hot all over and here in pacific park where there are usually parents and kids running all around here, well, there are very few and they don't stay long, maybe five or ten minutes. as you mentioned for many students here in contra costa county, this was the first day back at school but at high land school in pittsburgh, not so much. jose flores didn't check his email yesterday so he missed the one saying don't bring your kids to high lands elementary in pittsburgh for the first day of school today. >> i just walked in and the teachers talked to us. they let us know personally the ac was not working. >> reporter: they loaded up and went home with thoughts of heading to the pool. penny luke did get a phone call yesterday about her 5-year-old niece. >> they said they are to not having school until monday because the air conditioner is not working yet. >> reporter: pittsburgh unified set aside $1.9 million to replace the air conditioning units with hopes of ha

abc 7 news anchor eric thomas has more. >> born and raised in oakley. >> this year's game participants are especially excited about that born in oakland part. 06 train in fundamentals from january to june. >> from june to august they have about 13 weeks to get development teams and build a video game from scratch. >> this summer they designed and created 11 games with automation, graphics and sound. these young men designed on automobile side shows with that special oakland flavor. >> we wanted to side shows. >> this all female team took a decidedly different tack moving from road to home. >> a love letter to our pores. >> eric thomas, abc 7 news. >>> the ultimate love letter to mom may be the game design and critical thinking that game heads will help these kids into and graduate from college. as part of building a better bay area, we're focused on homelessness and possible solutions to the housing crisis. yesterday people built movable tiny homes for homeless young people. the volunteers are spending this weekend building 8 x 10 foot tiny homes. they are easy to set up, so they can b

. >> eric thomas reports. >> china fired the latest shot in the trade war today slappin , even whisky. most economists hate trade wars and prefer free trade. >> it's the best thing. it's going to lead to the fastest growth. it's going to allow the economy as productive as it can be and lead to the most high-paying jobs. >> instead china will add a five to 10% tax on goods shipped from america to china. one bach in september, another in december. >> economics there is a principle that taxes are always paid by both sides by the producers and the consumers. >> president trump has been using tariffs on chinese goods sold in the u.s. to pressure china ending unfair trade practices dating back decades in retaliation, china slapped tariffs on the agriculture industry, especially farmers who grow pa stash oistachios and aia california wines with more than $185 million in sales. whatever the product, grain, spirit or automobiles, chances are they will have to go through the port of oakland to get to china. >> this can't go on indefinitely. how do you run a business? >> shipments to china may s

eric thomas. >>> in the south bay, livestock on the loose. animal service crews are in south san jose tonight trying to get to the bottom of this big problem. yeah, that residents there have been complaining about actually for two months. abc 7 news kris reyes tried to get answers for us. >> kris? >> reporter: good evening kristen and dan. two words, cow poop. right there. i'm saying it so i don't actually have to show you. trust me, they are all over this neighborhood and residents say they video after video taken by residents of this neighborhood in south san jose of their daily visitors. these videos get passed around through a neighborhood text chain, a kind of cow watch to help warn residents. >> we're tired of it. they shouldn't be here. they are trespassing. >> reporter: they come to hang out at night and by morning, all that's left behind is a big mess. >> you can tell where they have torn up the grass. there is little parts up and they left their waste. >> reporter: we're k llooking a cow poop all over the lawn. this is your everyday

i am eric thomas. the woman says lyft drivers refused to give her a ride. she's calling the company to do more to educate its drivers. liz kreutz is live in the newsroom. >> reporter: taliah lubin moved to san francisco to start law school. she taken three rides with lyft and each time she had drivers cancelled on her or given her a hard time. we spoke with her today in her apartment. >> reporter: taliah lubin has type one diabetes. her dog is her best friend and guard y guardian. >> she's sassy and saved my life a bunch of times. >> reporter: taliah says she faces discrimination. most recently from lyft, three different drivers refused her service because of astra. >> when something like this happens, it feels it is so painful. >> reporter: the irst incident happened earlier this year. the lyft driver pulled up and say astra and drove away. the following two incidents happened the same day last week. >> my first driver pulled over and i was saying hi, how are you and he cuts me off. ka can't have a dog. >> reporter: after some argumen arguments, she felt h

eric thomas is live in walnut creek with the story. eric? >> reporter: guys, thank ge goodness for shade. we don't have fires like the south bay but contra costa fire is worried the winds could pick up tonight. folks are looking for some way to beat the heat, at least most folks are. >> i'm going to be serving. you're going to be returning. >> reporter: this is the textbook definition of not keeping your cool. high noon and pickle ball instructor carmen sands is teaching a class in wall net creek and it's really hot. >> i've been here since quarter it's 12:15 almost. so it was already hot in the morning. >> reporter: how many timest. >>eporter: shetayed hydrated. the same routine she recommende. across the street, the always popular heather farm pool was already busy with folks trying to use the water as a shield against the sun. others who didn't have time to swim did the best they could. >> unfortunately, i have to work. i'm prepared by wearing light clothing, stopped at the store and filled up my shopping bag with gelato and ice cream. >>

live in oakland's fruit vail district, eric thomas. >> a fire overnight caused significant damage to a synagogue in pleasanton. sky 7 was over the tri-valley and caught the aftermath. you can see the outside of the building was scorched. abc7 news spoke to the rabbi who learned of the fire around 1:00 a.m. firefighters it managed to save the tora scrolls. however shabbat services may be held elsewhere. the fire does not appear to be arson. >> a dog undergoing emergency surgery after shot by a b.a.r.t. police officer this afternoon. this happened around 1:10 on the steps of the civic center b.a.r.t. station in san francisco. police say the dog was a "pitbull" type. it aggressive lunged toward the officer. witnesses say the officer's first approach because they wanted the homeless man the dog was with to get out of the station. >> i saw that, stood up, started barking. the officer started yelling more, saying get your dog, get back. and then started backing up. the dog then came out. >> video shows the chaotic scene after dog was shot. b.a.r.t. police are investigating this incident. t

abc 7 news anchor eric thomas has more. >> born and raised in oakley. >> this year's game participantse especially excited about that born in oakland part. 60 kids train in fundamentals from january to june. >> from june to august they have about 13 weeks to get development teams and build a video game from scratch. >> this summer they designed and created 11 games with their own graphics, animation and sound. these young men designed on drifted games based on real life automobile side shows with that special oakland flavor. >> we wanted to show all the aesthetics of oakland as far as the smoke, fireworks of side shows. >> this all female team took a decidedly different tack moving their game from the road into the home. >> it really means -- it's what the game is about, a love letter to all our mothers. >> eric thomas, abc 7 news. >>> the ultimate love letter to mom may be the game design and critical thinking that game heads will provide to help these kids sbet into aget into and gr college. as part of building a better bay area, we're focused on homelessness and possible solutions t

>> i'm eric thomas, thanks for joining us. at least 20 people dead, 26 injured. three of the victims are from mexico according to that country's mexico. one suspect is under arrest. this is one of the worst mass shootings in u.s. history. joining us now is abc news reporter megan debreezian. she's been following this for us in new york. >> reporter: good afternoon, eric. abc news just learned the el paso police chief says authorities are examining what he called a manifesto they believe written by the shooter and shows a possible nexus to a hate crime. scene of horror at an el paso walmart. >> all tack units make it to inside walmart, please. >> reporter: the first call coming in at 10:00 this morning at the mall in el paso. thousands of shoppers inside the walmart when the shooting began. >> he starts pop, pop, pop, pop. he's going. he's trigger finger. he's going, going, going. >> reporter: the alleged shooter identified as 21-year-old patrick crusius of allen, texas, killing at least 18 people. dozens take ton local hospitals, including two chirng one as young

eric thomas joins us with a loo look at the safe landings act. eric?er: and larry, this act was sponsored by congress mark desaulnier from the east bay. he said the 83% increase in runway incursions. the incident you're talking about that was almost so deadly, it didn't involve a runway. it involved a taxiway and that was the problem. every day at sfo, pilots make this look so easy. but on a july night two years ago, a nearly botched landing could have killed hundreds. >> where's this guy going? he's on the taxiway. >> reporter: on that night, the pilots of an air canada jet were heading for a landing on what they thought was a runway. it was a taxiway with four jets lined up containing 1,000 passengers. seconds before disaster, they pulled up. >> we have made aviation safe enough that we can no longer define safety solely as the absence of accidents. >> retired airline pilot sully sullenberger of danville stood alongside mark desaulnier as he unveiled a new bill, the safe landings act. he's known for his miracle on the hudson landing his stricken plan

in oakland, eric thomas, "abc 7 news". >> all right.out this video of a tesla driver asleep behind the wheel. so people in a passing car, they got this video on i-5 near santa clarita last saturday. they didn't call the police because they saw the driver wake up and then regain control of the car. the tesla wasn't moving erratically or anything. it was traveling about 70 or 75 befo.lot mode.n i theehle in june this video was taken alon the 405 and 5 in l.a. the person who shot the video said he called 911 when he saw the sleepy driver. and then back in march -- passed out in his tesla. >> yeah. that witness says a tesla driver appeared to sleep for about ten minutes. woke up once, looked around and then went back to sleep. this also happened in l.a., in that area. tesla's website advises drivers that, quote, auto pilot is intended for use with a fully attentive driver who has their hands on the wheel and is prepared to take over at any time. >>> in the east bay a rally today in support of an 87-year-old hollow kaocaust sur facing evicti

in oakland, eric thomas, "abc 7 news". >>> in the east bay a rally today in support of an 87-year-oldust survivor who is facing eviction over a jump in rent at his alameda apartment. it will be held in front of the do you kn dune apartments on shoreline drive at 3:00 this afternoon. that's where he has lived more than 20 years. he survived the nazi invasion into the soviet union. his section eight status is not protecting him from the rise in cost of living and his landlord wants to raise the rent by $700 a month. he has filed a com the state, accusing his landlord of discrimination. >>> one day a week, that's all you have to get your hands on the hottest chicken sandwich in san francisco, and it is creating some crazy wait times. ♪ >> the hot is pretty hot. the extra hot is ridiculous, and the burning is insane. ♪ >> i am standing in line for hot bird, nashville hot chicken. i hear it is the hottest thing in town. >> we go from mild to burning. you pretty much eat it at your own risk. >> my god, it is going to be great. >> oh, my god. it is so hot. >> cheers! whew. >> oh, my gosh. >>

but as abc7 news anchor eric thomas discovered, some believe it shouldn't be up to them to solve the problem. >> the town of lafayette in contra costa county is a microcosm of what's happening all over the bay area. lafayette is a suburban oasis of mostly single-family homes with great schools, great restaurants, and very little affordable housing. >> the price is just way too high. i have a son, and a single mom. >> siri has worked at this lafayette restaurant for a dozen years. she used to live in town, but the rent got too high, so she moved to pittsburg. sometimes it takes her well over an hour to get home from work. she loves her job and her customers, but -- >> nobody knows how hard it is t g prices and food pricesdre tn and rent and the commute and the time away from our family. >> there are an estimated 9400 jobs in lafayette, but state figures show only 700 of the w work in town actually live here. that's one reason developer dennis o'brien thinks it's the perfect place for an apartment complex. o'brien wants to build here on deer hill. you can see it from drone 7. it used t

in oakland, eric thomas, "abc 7 news". >>> in the east bay a rally today in support of an 87-year-old holocaust survivor facing eviction over a jump in rent at his alameda apartment. it will be held in front of the dunes apartments on shoreline drive at 3:00 this afternoon. that's where he has lived more than 20 years. he survived the nazi invasion into the soviet union. his section eight status is not protecting him from the rising cost of living and his landlord wants to raise the rent by $700 a month. he has filed a complaint with the state, accusing his landlord of discrimination. >>> one day a week, that's all you have to get your hands on the hottest chicken sandwich in san francisco. it is creating some crazy wait times. >> the hot is pretty hot. the extra hot is ridiculous and the burning is >> i am standing in line for hot bird, nashville hot chicken. i hear it is the hottest thing in town. >> we go from mild to burning. you pretty much eat it at your own risk. >> oh, my god. this is going to be great. ♪ >> oh, my god. it is so hot. >> fierce, whew! >> oh, my god. >> it is go

eric thomas is live in the east bay where it is the hottest and drew tomb ma and spencer christian are watching an the forecast. >> the heat today. starting with we're going to give you live doppler 7 showing we have mainly sunny skies everywhere including the coast. records so far for this date, oakland airport, 93. shattering the old record of 88 for this date. sfo93 degrees. shattering the old record of 58. san jose beat the old record by one degree, 97 degrees beating the old record of 96, moffett 94. we're looking at numerous triple temperature readings. morgan hill, fremont, which is not even inland, over in the inland east bay, 103 to 105. up north, clear lake, cloverally and ukiah at or or about 100 degrees. drew tuma has more on the heat. >> this can be very taxing on the body from heat exhaustion to heat stroke. it's for tha

. >> news anchor eric thomas is in san leandro. another power out d. patel s the forecast and hopefully good news on way. >> i don't deliver bad news. you know that. never. not me. let's look at live doppler 7, larry and ama. there is some fog that is creeping back up along the coastline. we have noticed a change in the air mass. not so much inland. it's still hot. 101 brentwood. 104 fairfield. half moon bay 64, san francisco 71, 89 santa rosa, 76 in

. >>> hello, i'm eric thomas. >> i'm die on-lim.y of the dnc summer meeting in san % francisco took a dramatic turn. >> today they rejected a move to allow the party's presidential candidates to hold aeb clusively about climate change. >> party chairman tom perez initially shot down the idea, arguing the move would only allow other single-issue debates. under pressure from activists, perez allowed a vote and called on members for comment. in the end, party members rejected the resolution, saying there were too many important issues to discuss. >> i don't need a specific focus climate debate at the expense of a debate that i would also want on immigration. >> well, activists protested the move on the street outside. east bay congresswoman barbara lee was among those that supported a debate dedicated to climate change, saying it has a serious impact on other big issues like gun violence and poverty. the republican national committee had this response to the dnc meeting. quote, it's only appropriate the democrats chose san francisco as

i'm eric thomas. dion lim has the night off. already resumed but today's reopening is the first time buses can come in and out of the terminal. kate larson is live at the terminal right now with what the changes mean for you. kate? >> reporter: good evening, eric. the third floor bus deck is open. and it is sort of the last transportation component of the transit center that needed to reopen after it of course, closed last september. you'll remember this. six weeks after opening a worker discovered cracks in a steel beam in the transit center. the evacuated and then discovered another cracked beam the next day. it has been at least part of it has been closed ever since. this is a big deal to have the third floor bus deck reopen finally. take a look today for the first time in ten months, buses are running on the third floor bus deck. ac transit operates 26 transit lines from the bus deck, plus four early bird express lines for b.a.r.t. and sf muni has one like on the third f

eric thomas has the details. >> reporter: live performers inside the b.a.r.t.ons and on the trains love them or hate them, it's hard to miss them. >> our riders are not voluntarily watching them. they are forced to. they're on their ride from one place to another and they are forced to watch whatever goes on on the train. >> b.a.r.t. director deborah allen represents the walnut creek pleasant hill area. in a vote today, she and supporters directed b.a.r.t. staff to analyze whether an ordinance banning performers and panhandlers from the areas between the turnstiles and the trains would be legal but she says preliminary legal opinions apparently back her up. >> we have the right to the put reasonable ordinances in place for the benefit of our paying ridership. >> reporter: is the american civil liberties union of northern california disagrees and sent a letter to b.a.r.t. saying "we have concerns when is a government entity plans to restrict fundamental free speech rights and make it illegal to panhandle or busk." >> now today, b.a.r.t.'s board of directors appr

eric thomas trying to keep cool empty east bay. christian has the forecast first. >> we have a couple more records. one is a tie and one a new record. right to the graphic and show you it hit 100 degrees in santa rosa tying the existing record for this date set back in 1950. san jose 98 degrees high so far breaking the old record of 96 set back in 1950. you can see that it's still quite warm. 85 in san francisco, upper 90s mid-90s at redwood city and san jose. 6 half moon bay. through the city from the mount tam some other readings for now, 98 santa rosa, 92 napa. above 100 petaluma, fairfield concord and livermore and still a heat advisory for virtually all the bay area till 8:00 tonight as well as excessive heat warning for virtually all of lake and solano county till 10:00 tomorrow night. the complete forecast in a few minutes. >> in the south bay, the heat wasn't helping fire crews fight a fire that caused people to get out of their homes. more than a dozen of them. >> it started around noon near san teresa boulevard and bailey

. >>> good evening, thank you for joining us, i'm eric thomas.e questions than answers after jeffrey epstein takes his own life, according to prison officials. he was awaiting trial on conspiracy and sex trafficking. it comes a day after a bombshell document from a deposition listed names. we are in new york with the latest. >> reporter: jeffrey epstein's body leaving a new york hospital today. around 6:30 this morning, epstein was found unresponsive in his cell in the special housing unit, dying from an apparent suicide. his death coming a little more than two weeks after the new york financier charged with conspiracy and sex trafficking was found on the floor of his cell with bruises on his neck. he was temporarily placed on suicide watch after that incident. lawmakers today questioning why that status changed. attorney general william barr saying he is appalled and that the death raises serious questions that must be answered. senator ben sass writing the attorney general, quote, he should have been locked in a padded room under 24/7 constant

>> i'm eric thomas, thanks for joining us. at least 20 people dead, 26 injured. are from mexico according to that country's mexico. one suspect is under arrest. this is one of the worst mass shootings in u.s. history. joining us now is abc news reporter megan debreezian. she's been following this for us in new york. >> reporter: good afternoon, eric. abc news just learned the el paso police chief says authorities are examining what he called a manifesto they believe written by the shooter and shows a possible nexus to a hate crime. scene of horror at an el paso

abc 7 news anchor eric thomas is live in brentwood with the latest. eric?rter: specifically she was walking here to edna hill middle school. she had quite a distance left to cover. gps says the distance from where she was hit to here is just under two miles. let's show you the scene this morning. she was hit and thrown several feet by an suv. you see paramedics putting her on a backboard, on an ambulance, her injuries were so severe she had to be flown to uc davis medical center. what police do know at this point is there are no crosswalks there. it appears that the young girl was trying to cross and was hit by the suv driven by a female suspect who then left the scene. she was caught a little while later by officers there and booked into the county jail in martinez on charges of dui and felony hit-and-run. it has been a long day for police and a long day for school officials who have had to deal with the aftermath of this. >> the officers obviously administered first aid until paramedics could arrive. and then they subsequently stabilized her at the scene

i'm eric thomas. in tonight's headlines, two mass shootings have left two cities in mourning.orking to see if a racist manifesto posted yesterday in el paso was written by the suspected shooter patrick crusius. police arrested him and charged him with killing 20 people and injuried 29 others. and in dayton, police say 24-year-old connor betts opened fire, killing his sister and eight others. officers say they shot and killed betts within 30 seconds. it was one week ago today that a 19-year-old opened fire at the gilroy garlic festival, killing three people and woulding 16 others. the gunman died from a self-inflikself-i self-inflicted gunshot wound. >>> we'veeen focusing on transportation a to build a better bay area. b.a.r.t. says this is better for riders and the environment. kate larson explains how and where the system is going paperless. >> reporter: out with the paper, and in with the plastic. b.a.r.t. is ending the sale of paper tickets at oakland's 19th street station on monday and will only be selling clipper cards. >> i'm not used to the clipper card. >> reporter: he

eric thomas has one man's story. >> no one expects to be in the situation but it happens. >> reporterl be home for eric taylor thanks to a voucher from a veteran support group, after that home could well be his rental car. >> i can see why some people could easily give up to have to go through this. >> reporter: spread out are letters, applications and responses from agencies he's contacted for housing help. the army veteran is disabled from a training injury that broke his lower back in the 80s. he lived in emeryville for 14 years until his landlord died and he was forced out. he then moved to hayward and lived there for nine years until the owner turned it into an air b and b. since april, taylor has shuttled between motels and his car until it broke down. since then, he's been renting a car to get to physical therapy appointments. in fact, last month he charged $8,000 to his credit card for car rental, motel stays, gas, meals and bills. >> people will say, oh, thank you for your service but give some vestts a chance. >> reporter: he has veteran's affairs support housing. it's simil

. >> live in walnut creek, eric thomas, abc7 news. spilly heat. that happened in the south bay. >> this is a mess. several lanes of southbound 101 north of shoreline boulevard were closed after a sanitation truck turned over on the center divide. chris nguyen live with the details there. chris? >> reporter: larry, traffic has been an absolute mess on the 101 the entire afternoon. we are just south of san antonio road sheer the palo alto tote mountain view border. you can see caltrans crews right now working to clean up the mess, the southbound side where three lanes are currently closed. let's show you rid video from earlier. the chp telling us a sanitation truck was traveling northbound on 101 when a black sedan trying to exit at san antonio road cut the truck off. truck veered right, hit the barriers on the right shoulder losing control and veered across all the lanes. it struck a white sedan, hit the center median and overturned landing on the center divide.k gallons of human waste. the chp telling us a small portion ended up on the roadway. as

abc7 news anchor eric thomas has more. >> reporter: born and raised in oakland. she's going to win. >> reporter: this year's gameheads participants are especially excited about the born in oakland part. 60 kids trained in the fundamentals from january to june. >> from june to august, they have about 13 weeks to get into development teams and build a video game from sc>> reporter: participants designed an crted 11 games wit their own graphics, animation, and sound. these young men designed a drifting game based on real life automobile side shows with that special oakland flavor. >> we wanted to show all the aesthetics of oakland as far as the smoke the fireworks and side shows. >> reporter: this female team took a different tact moving their game are the road into the home. >> it is about thanking mom. a love letter the our mothers. >> the ultimate love letter to mom may be the game design and critical thinking skills the game head have to get into college. >>> as part of building a better bay area we are toke used on hoousi eking eight by ten foot tiny homes that

eric thomas has that story. >> it's the busiest single hunting day of the year in california.f hunters will wake up early sunday morning, grab their shotguns and go dove hunting but buying the ammunition is going to be a lot different this year. >> you have to fill out the same paperwork basically if you were purchasing a gun. >> reporter: bill morgan owns guns, fishing and other stuff with stores in dublin. they are just about out of steel bird shot because of a last-minute buying frenzy for the state's ammunition laws. first up, you have to bring i.d. and agree to a background check. >> it's $19. takes ten days and then you come pick up. >> reporter: it used to be grabbing a box of shells, taking it to the register and pay for it. but the proper paperwork is key as this customer found out. >> had to take a trip out to the car, get the proper credentials. >> reporter: christopher was buying handgun ammunition, not shotgun shells but the rules are the same. he was lucky having registered a gun within the last five years, he's on the state's preapproved list. the background che

eric thomas, abc 7 news. >>> now, the skateboarder that you just saw there, shawn sanfo sanford, he's still fighting depression, short-term memory loss and sleep disorders but he says it is better than the alternative and now he never skates without a helmet. >>> two marine corps veterans who forged an unbreakable bond in combat are taking their relationship to greater heights. that's john nelson carrying his buddy, jonathan blank, on his back on steep terrain. nelson lost both legs in an explosion two years ago. >> i drove by and thought, you know what, i think i'm going to take john up to the top of that by myself. i've got legs. i couldn't imagine if i -- i tought this would be something epic for him to experience to actually get to the saddle. >> that emotion, that brotherhood inspired nelson to make the trek painfully carrying 135 pounds of weight on his back. blank hopes their bond will inspire others who think they can accomplish something. the two plan to conquer california's mt. whitney on veterans day. >> you talk about friendship, an incredible bond. >> that's it. >> for su

back in 2014 thomas eric duncan died from ebola in dallas after traveling there from liberia, all ofw the story. two of the nurses he provided treatment nina pham and amber vincent in dallas were later diagnosed with ebola. thank god they survived. earlier in 2014 doctor kent brantley who completed his residency and fellowship in fort worth at john peter smith our public hospital contracted ebola while serving as a medical missionary. you know that story as well. i got to visit with him in december 2014, he was a remarkable man. a remarkable doctor. the point is, we in the dallas-fort worth area no probably better than any community that what happens in the drc, what happens overseas can happen here and can happen very quickly. my question is, because when this happened back in 2014 it was like a bomb going off. in the dallas-fort worth area. my question is, what were the biggest lessons learned from that? i will go with doctor redfield first. that are benefiting us now. >>. >> congressman, i think probably the most important lesson that we are operationalizing now is to prepare part

thomas rhett and julian bunetta. "cry pretty" by carrie underwood produced by david garcia, jim jonsin and carrie underwood. "dan + shay" by dan + shay produced by dan smyers and scott hendricks. "desperate man," eric and greg kurstin. those are the nominees for cma album of the year. [ applause ] >> this award goes to artist and producer. the nominees for cma musical event of the year are, "all my favorite people," maren morris featuring brothers osborne, produced by maren morris and busbee. "brand new man," brooks & dunn with luke combs produced by dann huff. "dive bar," garth brooks and blake shelton produced by garth brooks. "old town road" remix, lil nas x featuring billy ray cyrus produced by youngkio, michael trent reznor. "what happens in a small town," brantley gilbert. those are the nominees. [ applause ] >> up next, we have the nominees for cma new artist of the year. cody johnson, midland, carly pearce, ashley mcbryde. >> hey. >> and morgan wallen. [ cheers and applause ] >> the nominees for cma entertainer of the year are garth brooks, eric church, chris stapleton, carrie underwood, keith urban. those are the nominees for cma entertainer of the year. [ applause ] >> congratulations. >>

eric greitens, former representatives james moran and mf payne, chief judge roger gregory of the first circuit court of appeals members of the governors , cabinet, members of the virginia general assembly, including senate majority leader thomas normand, portsmouth mayor john alexander, joseph screen jr., and the members of the 400 years african american commission, national park service officials including deputy director daniel smith and deputy director david avella, hampton vice mayor jimmy gray and members of the hampton city council, and other special guests. on behalf of the members of the hampton city council, our city staff, and the residents of this great city, it is my honor to welcome you to old point comfort, freedom's fortress, fort monroe, and now fort monroe national monument in hampton, virginia. [applause] today's hamptons is a historic city that is 409 years old. when i greet visitors to our city, i often tell them we don't , look that old because we have burned to the ground at least twice. from almost its beginning, hampton has been a multiethnic and multicultural city, a model for our nation and the world. to emulate. in july, 1610, there were two ethnicities and two cultures here in hampton. that of the