. >> i'm jessica aguirre. the proposal to end the strike just presented by the b.a.r.t. unions.have team coverage. we're tracking the traffic. we're going to start with jodi hernandez with the latest on the negotiations and the list of conditions the union says could end the strike this very evening, jodi. >> reporter: now, this is the letter that b.a.r.t.'s unions have sent to b.a.r.t.'s general manager and the board of directors. in it they say they agreed to b.a.r.t.'s proposal on pensions, medical benefits, and a framework on wages, but the big point of contention, those workplace rules. the unions say they want those to be sent into binding arbitration. now, b.a.r.t. has not yet responded to those demands. as you can see, workers remain out here on the picket line, but there's a band playing out here tonight, and spirits seem to be lifted. b.a.r.t. workers say they're not standing down. after days of marathon negotiations sessions without a deal, they say they had no choice but to hit the picket line. how long are you willing to go? >> as long as it takes. >> reporter: the

. >>> and good evening, everyone i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. a late night fire that might with a criminal investigation. the fire started in a basement of a home near seventh straight and st. james. the firefighters had the flames under control fairly quickly. illegal wiring in the basement caused the fire. they found other items suggested illegal activity boarded up in the basement. >>> your money being misused. the investigative unit first uncovered hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of questionable accounting transactions at samtrans. but now community groups are calling for a close lyric at the financial records. vicky nguyen has this report. >> reporter: a small group of demonstrators from the group stop workplace bullying rallied in support of district whistle blowers tonight. >> they have problems with their wrong doing and develop path ways for whistle blowers to report it safely. >> reporter: the san carlos vice mayor says that the concerns warrant an independent investigation into the district's finances. >> i would like to see it

. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. we start with weather. if you thought it's been cold the last 24 hours, get ready for chillier conditions. it's time to bring in those pets, protect your plants, because a frost advisory is about to take effect. jeff ranieri has been tracking the conditions. it's going to get down right cold. >> for some isolated areas and that clear picture on the other side of the screen, that is one of the key factors that we'll see for these temperatures continuing to drop throughout the overnight hours. right now we are seeing a few locations from 5 to about 13 degrees cooler at this hour, compared to this time yesterday. half moon bay feeling it again. 13 degrees cooler this hour compared to this time yesterday. so let's get to the frost advisory. most critical for those of you in the north bay that are living in the hills above 1,000 feet to be concerned about this with temperatures dropping into the 30s. for the morning hours, remember that jacket and also to player. with a few areas of frost that will likely develo

. >> i'm jessica aguirre. want to show you what it looks like, again, a sig alert has been issued in san francisco right now. you're looking at live pictures above the scene right now. again, this is at the 280 connector with southbound 101. near the silver terrace exit in the portola neighborhood. it's a major mess right thousand. apparently what we're hearing is that that big rig slammed into the guardrail and you're seeing now lots and lots of traffic and how far it's extending. but it slammed into that guardrail. it's just virtually stopping traffic. there's also debris falling on the lanes of northbound 101 below. now, as the chopper gets closer, you can see that there are firefighters on scene. there's also a tow truck and they're trying to strap now that big rig and try to move it off that ledge and try to put it back on and try to move it out of that location. but, again, a nerve-racking situation. a sig alert. traffic is really just really backed up at this point. good news is so far, no injuries have

. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. best and last offers are on the table and we edge closer to that commuter chaos. >> the midnight deadline is fast approaching. let's get to jean ellie at the sig site of the bitter negotiations. >> reporter: b.a.r.t's general manager entered these doors at 9:30 tonight. a federal mediator is at the table and 30 minutes ago union leaders came down and said there is movement and a counter proposal on the table but still no deal. about an hour to go and no deal yet. but b.a.r.t put a best and final offer on the table yesterday. the offer included a 12% raise but increased pension and health benefit contributions. b.a.r.t says they are as far as they can go financially. but there is room for movement in that deal. at 10:30 the president of the union said that the union made a counter proposal and b.a.r.t is considering it. union leaders are advising commuters to prepare for a strike. >> we feel like we have reached the limit. the outer limit of what we are prepared to offer. >> we did mak

i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm raj matthai. >> delayed decision making and poor management among the key findings today for a report looking at the state agency that regulates hazardous waste. >> we began exposing problems with the broken system back in january. she joins us with the details and this report outlines a lot of things you had already exposed. >> yes, jess, raj. these are issues sources raised to us months ago talking about the dysfunction in this department. now we're seeing the specific problems when it comes to perming. in california 18% of the companies that this pose of toxic materials are working on outdated permits. it's long been a problem for the state department charged with protecting our health and the environment. we get a first look at where the system has failed and what needs to be fixed. it took ten months for reviewers to arrive at several key conclusions about the permitting process. they found it lacks clearly stated objectives and purposes and the standard process when it comes to how toxic regulators issue permits. they also found the department's permi

i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. the clock is ticking and they are still talking as we approach the midnight deadline will there be a deal or a strike? >> cheryl hurd is at the headquarters in oakland. we have 59 minutes and counting. any movement? >> reporter: everyone is counting and no movement yet. both sides are in the building right now and food was brought in earlier today. and that seemed to indicate they could be in there for the long haul. but to be honest we just don't know. jim allison who is a b.a.r.t spokesperson came down here a half hour ago. we thought he had a lot of information but he basically didn't. all he told us is that b.a.r.t is on the 13th floor and that the union is on the 15th floor and the chief negotiator was on the 15th floor but going back and forth. b.a.r.t's chief negotiator returned from a break at 7:30 this evening and all he said is we are talking. he planned to put an offer on the table today. union officials say they haven't seen it. the only folks that would talk on camera wer

. >> i'm jessica aguirre. more than $1 billion a week is the estimated cost of the government shutdown. tonight on capitol hill, still no sign of an end. you're looking at a live lock from the capitol to almost as far west as you can go, alcat z alcatraz. the effects of the partial government shutdown being felt everywhere. n what's going on here including the plight of war veterans, monty. >> reporter: jessica, that's right. good evening. we're in front of the veterans affairses office in oakland. it processes all the disability claims for northern california. it also has the worst record in the country for how long it takes to process those claims. and now because of the shutdown, veterans are bracing for even longer waits. >> we lost everything. everything that we had. >> reporter: william caston of livermore waited more than two years for the veterans affairs office in oakland to process his disability claim. during that time, he said he hit rock bottom, suffering from severe back pain from an injury he su

i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm raj matthai. a horrible crash in downtown menlo park. twin boys are hospitalized. one in critical condition after they were pinned to a wall by a car. a 90-year-old driver apparently jumped the curb. it happened outside a walgreens store on santa cruz avenue. it's the main map that goes through downtown menlo park. a block from el camino dey rel. how are the 6-year-old boys doing? >> reporter: we're hearing from police, they're telling us one of the 6-year-old boys, stanford medical hospital, is in critical condition, life threatening injuries. the other boy, his brother, has minor injuries. i'm going to step out of the way here. menlo park investigators still here on scene. they've been out here since about 2:00. and they've been describing this as a gruesome accident. you can see the bmw suv still up against the wall. and just after 2:00 this afternoon, that suv was pinning a pair of 6-year-old twin boys against that wall. and the nanny and their 11-year-old brother were screaming and more than a dozen people ran over to help push the

good evening i'm jessica aguirre. >> and i'm raj mathai. the pressing question is it the body of a woman who vanished at sf general 17 days ago. the missing woman's family is not happy with sf general. jean ellie has more on this bizarre development. >> reporter: lynn spaulding was last seen in her room in september at san francisco general. her family has been posting fliers across san francisco hoping to find her. but tonight they are facing the possibility that she has been here the entire time. >> it is frustrating to be 19 days into this. >> reporter: outside san francisco general hospital where his friend lynn spaulding was last seen three weeks ago, david perry wants answers for a family desperate for word. >> lynn's daughter is obviously traumatized. >> reporter: hospital staff admitted the 57-year-old with an infection september 19th. a nurse saw spaulding in her hospital bed and 15 minutes later the patient's cell phone was in her room and the patient was not in her bed and spaulding has not been seen or heard from since. her fami

. >> i'm jessica aguirre. we begin with a developing story. thousands of people gathered today exactly one week after the killing of a 13-year-old boy who deputies mistakenly thought was carrying an ak-47. >> it's been an active and vocal day, but as night falls the mood will be reflective. the family of andy lopez is holding a memorial service which begins shortly. we have two reports tonight. nbc bay area's jodi hernandez has been with the protesters. we begin with jean at the funeral for this boy. >> reporter: raj, an emotional crowd is here gathered for andy lopez's funeral. take a look. you can see this church is full. there are people standing in the doorways, listening, wanting to say good-bye to the 13-year-old boy. there are lots of young families here with long faces. the service was scheduled to begin at 5:00, but started around 5:30. a group of young pallbearers and church leaders in white robes at resurrection parish church in santa rosa brought the 13-year-old body's inside while a silent crowd watched. hundreds of people from al

. >> i'm jessica aguirre.nd and wife are dead, three children left orphans and suspect in jail. they walked their little dog. tonight, though, we're learning the woman police was the at the wheel is a convicted drunk driver. nbc bay area's stephanie chuang is live in menlo park where the crash happened and you're hearing from the suspect's friends. >> reporter: that's right, jessica. good evening. they're very surprised. they describe her as a family woman and cannot believe their friend could be responsible for killing two people. or that she was accused before of driving drunk. but that is exactly what menlo park police say happened here last night. with a couple walking in the bike lane this direction on a routine nightly walk. see the balloons marking a small memorial growing here on the street. friends of suspect, though, say it's not just one family in mourning. there are two. >> my big brother. he was so nice. and look at the -- and they left. i just can't believe it. can't believe it. >> reporter: disb

good evening, everyone, i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm raj matthai. there are problems on two thoughts. ac transit is also threatening to strike so buses could stop running this thursday. we have complete coverage on both strike threats. nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is tracking the ac transit possible strike. we begin with cheryl hurd in oakland with the latest on the b.a.r.t. stalemate. good evening, cheryl. >> reporter: good evening, raj. b.a.r.t.'s general manager just walked through the doors 15 minutes ago. she had nothing to say to reporters. in fact, we've been here all day long and heard a little bit from the union and heard a little bit from b.a.r.t. management. both of them are saying they're doing everything that they can to avert a strike. and passengers are saying the poibility of a strike ending, they wan to hear that because that can't come soon enough. whether or not b.a.r.t. trains will roll or not is giving some riders anxiety. >> i woke up at 1:00 in the morning to check to see if it was running because basically this job interview

. >>> and good evening everyone, i'm jessica aguirre. >> that breaks news between bart and its union. there will be no strike tomorrow. >> that means the trains will be running, but that doesn't mean a deal has been reached. >> reporter: we do not have a resolution to this dispute, but about 30 minutes ago a federal immediate yaeter came counsel here to the microphone and told us bart trains will run tomorrow. there's still no deals, but workers have agreed to stay on the job. this follows another day of uncertainty for riders. bart's general manager has been in negotiations since about 5:30 tonight. we're told she is meeting with small groups and the federal mediators. as far as we know, bart is considering the union's counter proposal to bart's best and final often. while they say they cannot change, the details are flexible. the federal mediators are shuttling in between. the mediator didn't give us much to read into but says trains will run wednesday and progress is being made. >> the parties have made some progress, and the parties have authorized me to advise you that on behalf

. >> i'm jessica aguirre. new at 6:00, construction rebound. five years ago the construction industry in the bay area barely hammered along. today, new construction sites abound in the south bay. especially in san jose. where new projects include a 320,000 square foot retail complex, also going up more than 1,700 new apartments in north san jose. that's where we find nbc bay area's marianne favro wh how the construction is rebounding and impacting a lot of people. >> reporter: it certainly is, jessica. see behind me crews are working to finish those 1,700 new apartment units. projects like this really help our local economy. not only does it bring new construction jobs to our yarea, but those workers are out spending money on housing and food in our area. and on top of that, all these new units, it could impact all of our rents. you may have noticed there's a lot of dirt moving in the south bay to make way for new construction. from crews building a new soccer stadium for the san jose earthquake, to the new levi stadium in santa clara. add in n

i'm jessica aguirre.eloping story, the gloves are off and the behind the scenes negotiations appear to be stalled. with only six hours to go before a possible b.a.r.t. strike, officials are venting their frustrations, both announcing they're standing their ground. making matters worse, before 5:00, ac transit workers gave a 72 hour strike notice. that strike could begin thursday if a deal isn't reached by midnight wednesday. i want to show you what the rush hour traffic looks like on bay area freeways. it's not bad now, but can you imagine what that will look like by thursday if the agencies both are on strike? we go straight to nbc bay area's cheryl hurd tracking the negotiations and they both came out and started talking. >> reporter: yes, they did. it was a little bit shocking. everything that was said this afternoon has been said before, but what it all means is anyone's guess. just before 5:00 this afternoon, b.a.r.t.'s board of directors president had a prepared statement and he made it at the top o

. >>> i'm jessica aguirre.e picture of the capitol where the house will soon vote on a bill to end that government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. in the past hour, the senate passed the bill 81-18. then president obama addressed the nation moments later, thanking lawmakers for getting the deal done. >> once the agreement arrives on my desk, i'll sign it immediately. we'll begin reopening our government immediately. >> 800,000 furloughed federal workers will be back on the job tomorrow. that includes workers right here in the bay area. nbc's kimberly tere is live with more on how devastating the effects have been, kimberly. >> jessica, we've heard a lot about government employees, but contractors are also deeply impacted. in fact, federal agencies give more than $500 billion to contractors whose workers are ready for a resolution in washington. darren stevens was supposed to start october 1st. the same day the federal government shut down. >> it's been really tough. it's been hitting work here and there. b

i'm jessica aguirre. >>> i'm raj mathai. >>> tonight, mayor lee is demanding an independent investigationn francisco general. the dual action comes after a patient was found dead in a stairwell nearly three weeks after she went missing from her hospital room. nbc bay area mariyor pfaff rah joins us. >>> the family learned that the death of lynn spalding was not involved with foul play. they say that that is a relief. tonight they have many, many major questions for sheriff's deputies about their search of this hospital. >>> when 57-year-old lynn spalding's boyfriend brought her here to the hospital, they hoped she would get treatment for a infection and come home. a few days later, she was reported missing. two weeks after that, she was found dead in a hospital stairwell. >> if a search was done for a lady and 17 days later her body was found. that was not an adequate search. certainly these are not the standards to which a fine institution like san francisco general should expect its security detail to live up to. >> today, san francisco mayor ed lee toured the hospital, including the fi

jessica aguirre is on assignle. >> i'm raj mathai. developing story, this afternoon livermoore police announced the arrest of a hayward cop accused of sexually abusing girls he taught at an after school program. girls at middle and elementary schools. a lot of concerned parents tonight. >> reporter: raj, good evening. that's right. the first victim to come to police is now an adult. she claims robert mcleod abused her six years ago but only recently decided to come forward. as 38-year-old hayward police officer richard scott mcleod sits in santa rita jail held on $750,000 bail, police say they are interviewing his alleged victims who were girls when mcleod was the lead coordinator of the kid zone after school program in livermore. >> he was the teacher. he was the one that everybody liked. and he would hang out with them afterwards when the place was closed. >> reporter: police say the alleged abuse took place between 1998 and 2007. involving girls between the ages of 12 and 14. mcleod was arrested saturday on suspicion of sexual cond

i'm jessica aguirre. our developing story. both sides back at the table.cannot come soon enough for commuters in day four of the b.a.r.t. strike and the first day of a new workweek. all happening in the shadow of two b.a.r.t. worker deaths over the weekend as well. want to give you a live look from our nbc chopper. you're looking right now at a ferry headed into the oakland terminal. you should know the ferries have been packed. we're hearing from them, at least, three times the usual amount of passengers. even with added boats. nbc bay area's cheryl hurd has been following negotiations all day. anything to report at this point? >> reporter: not at this time, but what i can tell you is union members are picketing across the street, and as you can see, microphones are set up just in case there's a statement or a deal. right now, there is no deal. atu has been talking to b.a.r.t. management since 11:00 this morning, but both sides seem to have one thing in common. they both want to see an end to this strike. >> we cannot. >> reporter: the union keeping detai

i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm raj mathai. there was a glimmer of home that the b.a.r.t. strike would end late tonight. as it turned out, it was a messy and public display of the deep rooted problem between bro.a.r. and its unions. bottom line, your weekend plans might be affected. jean, the question, what now? >> reporter: well, b.a.r.t. and union officials both want these workers to put their picket signs down and get back on the job. they both agree that they have to talk to make that happen. at this point, they do not agree on where those talks should take place. with b.a.r.t. workers on strike and stations closed, frustrated commuters slowly made their way home on crowded buses and packed ferries. >> the afternoon ferry would not be a problem. apparently now i have to wait for another hour. it's frustrating. >> reporter: with the bay area in gridlock, b.a.r.t. union leaders say they are looking for a solution. they spent the day crafting a plan they say would end the strike. >> this plan would allow us to reach an agreement without going back to the bargaining table,

i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm raj mathai. there was a glimmer of home that the b.a.r.t. bro.a.r. and its unions. bottom line, your weekend plans might be affected. jean, the question, what now? >> reporter: well, b.a.r.t. and