abc 7 news anchor jessica castro has the jessica? >> natasha, investigators think the deadly fire was started by a child playing with a stove. it's the worst fire new york city has seen in 25 years. an apartment fire in the bronx neighborhood claimed 12 lives, including a 1-year-old child. initially, a gas leak was thought to be the cause, but now investigators say it was all sparked by a 3 1/2-year-old child playing with the burners on a stove. >> the mother was not aware of i, was alerted by the young man screaming. she exited her apartment with these -- her 2-year-old and 3-year-old, and left the door open. so this fire quickly spread up the stairs. >> reporter: the stairwell then acted like a chimney and spread the flames in minutes. >> to the window -- >> came out through the window? >> yeah, there was smoke everywhere. >> reporter: the details are horrific. people ran for their lives from the five-story building thursday night. parents screaming for help, children crying. >> burned. burned. little kids. the structure burned. it

we do want to start with abc 7 news reporter jessica castro who is live at city hall with what we are learning about lee's untimely passing. good morning, jessica. >> reporter: it is certainly doing to be a tough morning at city hall and no doubt the passing of mayor ed lee is going to be on the forefront of everything today. abc news has learned that he went into cardiac arrest last night while shopping at a safeway store. he was mayor of san francisco since 2011, was jooes recently reelected and as i mentioned his death was sudden. in fact, he was just at a recycling event yesterday and seemed healthy. the mayor's office released this statement earlier this morning, quote, it is with profound sadness and terrible brief that we confirm that mayor edwin m. lee passed away on tuesday, december 12th at 1:11 a.m. at zuckerberg san francisco general hospital. family, friends and colleagues were at his side. our thoughts and prayers are with his wife anita, his two daughters brianna and tania and his family. in accordance with the city charter board of supervisors president london breed be

let's get right over to abc 7 news anchor jessica castro. jessica, you've been looking at the documents. this is stunning. >> yes, stunning. i've been looking at the documents. we received them minutes ago here into abc 7 news. and that man was planning an attack on pier 39. i want to show you a live look from sky 7 at the pier, of course, a very popular area with tourists, especially right now as people crowd into the city for the holiday. now we've learned the fbi has arrested a man by the name of everett aaron jamison from modesto. they say he wanted to target pier 39. according to fbi documents, jamison picked out that location because he had, quote, been there before and knew it was a heavily-crowded area. adding that he would easily be able to funnel people into a particular area where then he could inflict casualties. and as for pier 39, abc 7 news has contacted them, we have asked them for a response, but they actually did not know about this plot, in fact, we informed them of the arrest. obviously, the story is developing right now.

i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news. >> what a story. thank you, jessica. >>> congress now has a little over 36 hours to get a deal done to prevent the government from shutting down. house republicans unveiled a spending bill this morning. it is stripped down and provides the funding to keep the government operating into the new year. it provides money for things like flood insurance and the children's health insurance program. democrats are still skeptical. >> we'll do something, once again, before the end of the year, to make sure those states don't get hit with schip >> we're trying to get as good a deal as possible but the bottom line is we haven't seen anything. >> looming shutdown comes on the heels of republicans celebrating an overhaul of the nation's tax code. the individual cuts are good for eight years. big businesses might benefit the most with corporate tax being slashed from 35% to 21%. companies are rushing to announce special bounces and pay hikes after the gop tax plan. at&t saying it will pay $1 is,0is$1,000 bonus to 200

. >>> jessica castro, a woman of many languages. she is studying for her master's degree like right now. >> she's always reading multiple books at a time. jessica volunteers with kids. athletic, adventurous. >> the girl can dance. >> bright and early jess is jamming. >> our live desk was totally made for her. >> there is a lot happening in the morning and jess is best at breaking it down. better days start here. if yyou need to stay downeaway from it. call 911. let our first responders come out and handle it. police and fire will respond as well as pg&e. pg&e will make the scene safe. ♪ my wish was a clubhouse, but we call it "the wish house." people visit national parks from all over the world. food tastes better when you don't have to cook it. he was just supposed to be my dog. i don't know why. (vo) we're proud that, on behalf of our owners, the subaru share the love event will have donated over one hundred fifteen million dollars in just ten years. get 0% financing for 63 months on select models. plus we'll donate $250 to charity

i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news. kristen? >> all right. good information.it until the last minute to do your holiday shopping. the day you'll want to stay away from the mall to avoid the crowds. >>> and the new healthy choice for vegans. coming soon to mcdonald's. >>> and a live look right now at our mt. tam camera. you can see it's getting cloudy and, in fact, the clouds will pack some rain later on today. we'll talk to meteorologist mike nicco with your ac >>> now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> good morning, were you allowed enough time to take a look at the sky this morning? if not, it was beautiful. layers of clouds out there with a whole lot of texture. i made a time lapse to show you the cirrus that are above the cumulus. don't you just want to reach up and touch it and feel all the different bumps up there? that's the precursor to what's coming our way just kind of the appetizer before the storm gets here later on tonight and during the overnight hours. what it's done for sure is kept us cooler. increaing clouds. we're up to 5 degrees

reporting live from city hall, i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news.back to you. >>> we do expect to hear from the board president london breed who is now acting mayor. she is scheduled to have a news conference later this morning. she was a district 5 supervisor so she was representing the fill more, western edition, hayes valley, japan town, alamo square and north of panhandle, also coal valley and the inner sunset neighborhoods. >>> we are covering major local news this morning. for four decades antioch police searched for a 14-year-old's killer, the suspect is in custody this morning. lilian kim has more. >> we never gave up on bringing this case to a successful resolution. >> reporter: 37 years later a break in the case that had the entire bay area on edge. suzanne bomb ba deer was only 14 years old when she was kidnapped, raped and murdered. now antioch police say they have her killer in custody, 63-year-old mitchell bacom, an antioch resident who knew the family. >> our thoughts and prayers are with suzanne's family and we hope this sofrs om lev

. >> the predominant emotion is shock this morning and we have team coverage, jessica castro continuinghat live at city hall. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the whole crew there in the studio. i was just listening to carolyn talk about how this was is up a sudden passing here of mayor ed lee and there's proof of that here this morning at city hall where things are running as they would as any other particular week. you see a worker here cleaning the streets right in front of city hall, something that they do regularly, and the evidence of that shock that people are not out here quite yet. this is still very early, city hall only opens at 8:00 this morning and right now things are quiet. the flags are not lowered yet as we expect them to do later today in respect of mayor ed lee's passing. this happened in the middle of the night as we've been mentioning around 1:00 this morning and, therefore, people are simply waking up now and learning of the passing of mayor ed lee who was mayor here in san francisco since 2011, leaving behind a long legacy as carolyn just talked about, so

i'm jessica castro "abc 7 news."ave a great weekend. >> we will have a great weekend with all of that going or and a great looking forecast. >> and i think a lot of people are wondering are we going to see rain any time soon, lisa. >> matter of fact, i just updated the seven-day outlook and we had a chance over the weekend, but check it out. the next seven days, no, taking the rain out. so we are still on our way to dry conditions, and we need some rain. 62% of normal in san jose for this time of year. san francisco is at 76%, and oakland leading the pack at 86%. so here is the way the weekend is going to play out. increasing clouds on saturday, but notice not a lot of green. in fact, the rain has been removed, and then into sunday looks like increasing sunshine. an early chance along the sonoma coast. we will look for another beautiful day tomorrow. a chilly start with some 30s, 60s by the afternoon. that's slightly above average, 63 in oakland, 64 fremont and palo alto. a look ahead at the accuweather seven-day for

i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news. have a great weekend and see you in the new year. >>> just ahead, the effects the new federal tax law could have on the bay area housing market. why realtors say it's bad for business in the long run. >>> new this morning, $142,000. that's the amount valero will have to pay the bay area air quality management district to settle violations at its t its refinery. the violations include emission limits, minor hydrocarbon leaks from storage tanks, and also some related to administration. >>> as people rush to pay their property taxes by the end of the year, new alarms are being sounded in the bay area about the potentially damaging effects on the bay area housing market. abc 7 news reporter laura anthony has the story. >> those factors will hit heavily. >> reporter: realtor mark ross says new federal limits on mortgage interest deductions and tax writeoffs could deal a big blow to the bay area housing market. >> this will make people think twice about selling. they might remodel instead o

i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news.d. >>> we'll >> announcer: good morning east bay. let's get up and get going. this is "abc 7 mornings." >>> good morning and thanks so much for being with us. i'm chris nguyen. we're starting this half hour with a quick look at the weather. meteorologist lisa argen is tracking conditions where you live, hi, lisa. >> hey, chris, good morning, everyone. you can see the wind is blowing at ballmer peak. we have a wind advisory and a red flag warning in effect through 10:00 tomorrow morning. it's 56 in san francisco, 54 in oakland, 52 in mountain view, with upper 40s in san jose. from our sutro tower camera, boy, is it gusty out there. it will stay othat way out ther all day long. 57 in novato, 52 in concord, livermore lagging behind at 43. everyone is warmer due to the wind. the wind also dries out the atmosphere considerably. so high fire danger, yes, in december, through tomorrow, when the relative humidity will decrease from about 30 to 60% now to five to 20%. we'll see wind gusts, we'r

i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news.e a great weekend. >>> just another day on the job, said the airport inspector who spotted two polar bears running across a runway. this is in northern alaska where it's now pitch black 24 hours a day. the inspector's headlights scared off the bears. wildlife is nothing new to the employee. he's seen caribou on the runway and last month, a 450-pound seal. >>> still to come on "abc 7 mornings," president trump is responding to questions about possibly pardoning michael flynn. >>> a hollywood icon faces new accusers. >> announcer: good morning north bay. let's get up and get going. this is "abc 7 mornings." >>> it's great to have you with us. i'm chris nguyen. we're starting with of that hour with a quick look at the weather. meteorologist lisa argen is tracking the conditions where you live, hi, lisa. >> hey, chris, good morning to you. upper elevation wind is making temperatures mild and her bringing good air quality. of course that brings fire danger up and relative humidity at critic

i'm jessica castro. have a great weekend. >> looking we need to be ready for my name's scott strenfel and r i'm a meteorologist at pg&e. we make sure that our crews as well as our customers are prepared to how weather may impact their energy. so every single day we're monitoring the weather, and when storm events arise our forecast get crews out ahead of the storm to minimize any outages. during storm season we want our customers to be ready and stay safe. learn how you can be prepared at pge.com/beprepared. together, we're building a better california. >>> our perfect pet today is from the east bay spfca. let's see santa's little helper. a chihuahua terrier mix. volunteers estimate him to be about six years old. they removed him out of the north bay fire. he needs a home. he does well with other dogs. he loves a good nap. if you'd like to adopt him call, the number on the screen. look at him right there. he's so adorable. >> i think we are two peas in a pod. loves naps, likes to chill. >> a dog after my

i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news. have a great weekend and see you in the new year. >>> the first elephant seal pups of the season have arrived at point reyes national seashore. can you spot them? there are three, hanging out with the rest of the family. many more pups are expected to be born this month. while life officials want to remind the public to stay at least 50 feet away from the seals. >>> still to come on "abc 7 mornings," families are sharing heartbreaking stories of loss after that deadly apartment fire in the bronx. what officials say started that fire. >>> and thousands of artists have created these frozen works of art at the world's largest ice festival, for mild-to-moderate eczema? it can be used almost everywhere on almost everybody. the face of a fisherman? the hand of a ranch hand? the knee of a needle pointer? prescription eucrisa is a nose to toes eczema ointment. it blocks overactive pde4 enzymes within your skin. and it's steroid-free. do not use if you are allergic to eucrisa or its ingredient

i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news. have a great weekend. >>> an old san francisco theater that has sat vacant for more than 20 years has a new lease on life. abc 7 news was at the harding theater last night when it reopened as the emporium sf. it has transformed into a bar and arcade with a wide selection of classic games. the owners say they're also going to be featuring locally brewed craft beers. >>> still to come on "abc 7 mornings," a miss california pageant contestant like no other. hear her brave story in just a bit. >>> and what police you need to stay away from it. downcall 911. ine, let our first responders come out and handle it. police and fire will respond as well as pg&e. pg&e will make the scene safe. ♪ if you are in your home or your first step is to get out, travel to a safe distance until you can't smell the gas anymore and then call 911. the first responders will come out and they'll make it safe for you and your community. >> announcer: good morning east bay. let's get up and get going. this is "abc

natasha zouves, jessica castro here, sue hall tracking traffic, and lisa argen in. great to see you, lisa. >>> hi, everyone. we are looking at fog. visibility reduced in the north bay. if you're heading out early you're down to a quarter mile, even some along the coast. elsewhere in good shape. it is a cool morning with temperatures in the 40s from concord. 43 in san ramone. in the next couple hours into the 50s. by 1:00 we're flirting with 60 in napa and petaluma and then by 7:00 tonight still mild in the low 50s. sue? >>> we'll take a live look at 280 snaking the headlights from san jose up to cupertino. very light conditions. about an eight-minute drive towards wolf road in cupertino. green is great. slowing up and over the altamont pass. about a 25-minute drive time if you are heading into the dublin-pleasanton area. checking out 80 to the maze and then from the bay bridge into san francisco, so not bad there at all. in san francisco heading into sfo, under ten minutes. >> sue, thank you. speaking of your commute, if you use 101 or 280 for your morning drive you

i'm jessica castro, abc. news. >>> now, of course, abc 7 news has been updating this story throughout the day through our app. we sent this alert about the suspect's condition at 6:12 this morning. our app is a good way, obviously, to stay on top of breaking news. just remember to enable the push alerts. >>> a kidnapping suspect appeared in court today for the first time exactly 22 years after the crime he's accused of committing. hillsborough police escorted kevin lin through san francisco international airport early yesterday morning. they brooefelieve lin and two o men kidnapped 9-year-old christine chu after she left the south hills hillsborough school on december 11th, 1995. a detective who first worked -- first worked the case arrested lin in los angeles friday. >> this is a nice way to keep this case going and whether i'm here or the next officer behind me after i retire takes this case, this will continue on until all the suspects are brought to justice. >> now, another suspect was arrested and convic

. >> i'm jessica castro in for reggie. we're playing musical chairs. >>> good morning, everyone. the fog is not that much of a factor. this is the way it started yesterday in the north bay. a little patchy fog in francoeur. quarter mile visibility petaluma and santa rosa. as we go through the next several hours 9:30 is all over marin county, by 11:30 lots of sunshine and look at the temperatures. we're typically cool 30s and 40s and near 60 noontime. even warmer today. low 60s for most. sue? >> let's check around. we have a couple issues out there. back to the bay bridge toll plaza. we are experiencing holiday traffic patterns. that's good news if you do have to work. roadways are pretty clear. even our commuters out of tracy are looking pretty good. a problem with debris near the coliseum. southbound 880. chp will have to do a traffic break. it's apparently a blownout tire. and now traffic near university, right lane blocked. a traffic break there to get things cleared out of lanes and that should be resolved soon. >> sue, thank you. >> this morning an investigation continues in

reporting live, i'm jessica castro, abc 7 news. >> thank you, jez ssica. part of his legacy is he was the first asian-american mayor of san francisco. hard to believe in a city this diverse with such a large asian population. but he was and that was a big deal. >> indeed. let's go to abc 7 news reporting matt -- >> reporter: mayor lee was a role model to many and his death in the middle of the night sparked sadness and shock. the news of mayor ed lee's death early this morning was shocking to many san francisco residents. >> it's just shocking. he's so young. he's a great guy. >> i can't believe it. because he looked so young and healt healthy, you know. such a nice person. >> he was a young man. >> shocking. someone's lost a life. >> reporter: ed lee became san francisco's first asian-american mayor when he was appointed to the position in 2011. >> he's a trail blazer. >> reporter: the latest census shows a percentage of the population is asian. in chinatown people said mayor lee will be hard to replace. >> i think the city's going to suffer a big loss be

thank you for joining us, i'm jest jessica castro. kristen sze is in later today. a weekend of mourning is under way in san francisco. early this morning the mayor's body was taken from doug and sarah mortuary in daley city. sky 7 was overhead. the procession that started on interstate 280 and went through san francisco city streets. it ended at city hall where an american flag was draped between two fire engines. and here's a live picture from inside the city hall rotunda right now. you can see there, the flag-draped casket as mourners stop to pay their respects and there is a long line to get in. sky 7 live over city hall showing the crowds. abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield is also there. amy? >> reporter: hi, jessica. look at this tribute outside city hall from the fire department. a huge flag hanging between two fire trucks. it's a stunning sight that just takes your breath away when you see it. so does the emotion of the moment once you get inside. mayor ed lee's flag-draped casket arrived at san francisco city hall just before 7:00 this morning. the men who

abc 7's jessica castro has that bart part of our coverage. >> hi, kisten, yes, here's the latest tweet on social media from the sfpd, saying san francisco police department is following the events in new york city and there are no known threats to san francisco and officers will be making extra passing calls of transit. you can see that they included muni in their tweet. meanwhile, earlier this morning, b.a.r.t. sent out this tweet, "shortly after the attacks reminding everyone to use mass transit and when you see something, say something. they are also assuring riders that b.a.r.t. police will maintain high visibility and awareness today in response to the incident in new york city. meanwhile, we were able to get ahold of ac transit. they tell us it will maintain its same level of security and law enforcement vigilance. our team also contacted cal train. so far, no response from that agency. kristen, back to you. >> jessica, thank you. >>> abc 7 has been updating the story throughout the morning with our mobile app. we sent out this alert at 7:11 this morning. our app is a good way to

jessica castro from abc 7 mornings is monitoring. >> hi, natasha, right now in the hours of the crash, investigators trying to figure out exactly how this deadly crash happened. at least six people have died. all of those were passengers on the train. at least 77 are hurt. that's from the train and the cars below. and i do want to show you one more time, this live look at the situation. at this very minute. you can see there, the train still dangling from the tracks. this is the southbound side of interstate 5. it is still shut down. the derailment happened just before 8:00 this morning. there were at least 78 people onboard the train, itself, when it crashed. it was traveling about 81 miles an hour. and it was actually the first train carrying paying customers on a new route for amtrak. it was reportedly equipped with a brand new locomotive. >> the first car was on the ground, the second car was, like, the passenger, was down and the third was dangling and the fourth and fifth were up on theprobably about 30, 40 peoplet on the freeway just standing, like, about 20 ems started floodin

team coverage this morning beginning with jessica castro. >> reporter: reggie, there is shock and disbelief about the mayor's passing and what happened. former san francisco mayor willie brown tells abc 7 news anchor that mayor ed lee suffered cardiac arrest. i want to show you video of him as a recycling event just yesterday in san francisco. he was smiling and shaking hands. the mayor's office issued a statement this morning with the sad news, and it says, "it is with profound sadness and terrible grief that we confirm that mayor edwin m. lee passed away on tuesday december st 2th at 1:11 a.m. at zucker berg family hospital. family and friends and colleagues were at his side. our thoughts and prayers are with his wife and two daughters and his family. in accordance, the charter, effective immediately. back to you. >> okay, thank you. >>> condolences pouring in this morning. this is from supervisor who tweeted not long ago, holding on to the happy memories, mr. mayor, sending all my love to his beloved anita and daughters. he showed no obvious signs of health problems before his death. he

jessica castro spoke with rick clyne this morning for some analysis. >> how important is this for him politically? >> i think it's a big moral victory for him and republicans. they were 0 for the years, to close out the year with something that repeals the obamacare individual mandate, opens up the arctic or the alaskan national wildlife refuge, those are big things for republicans. >> democrats no surprise though, very upset about the outcome and vowing to come back at the ballot box in 2018. do you think that's possible for the democrats? >> this is going to be the grand argument of 2018. it feels like we close out 2017 with laying down the battle lines. i think for democrats, they've seen success in laces like virginia and alabama just last week, where they were able to tap into the voter anger, frustration, what's going on is possible that the tax bill adds to that. it's also possible that people remember why they voted for president trump and the republican majority because of things like this tax cut. >> abc news will have a special report at noon. that's when president trump wi

. >> i'm jessica castro.n for alexis as she has been for several weeks now. hi, everyone, good morning. another cold day? >> i really think so, especially this morning, then we will warm up nicely this afternoon. we do have a little fog to contend with, different from yesterday morning. it goes from petaluma up towards ukiah, lowest visibility right now at the airport in santa rosa about a third of a mile and about three-quarters of a mile in petaluma, so something we will have to keep an eye on. plus you have a temperature of 32 in santa rosa which means black ice could be developing. 36 san ramone. low and mid 40s around the bay. take a look at your 12-hour day planner coming up next. >>> pretty quiet right now, a lot of folks do have this week off. let's go to the east shore freeway, we had an earlier accident, fortunately it's cleared, it was in the eastbound direction near university. it was a fatality and they have concluded their investigation and cleared the roadway in the eastbound direction. westbou

i'm jessica castro. have a great weekend and see you in the new year. >> got to love it. 1st also marks the day of legalized marijuana in california and one local dispensary is hoping to make the first legal center. harbor side will be opening their doors at six clog in the morning at their oakland location. the dispensary says people will be able to get prizes and free coffee with don't its and meet the founders. >> in just days, recreational marijuana will be legal here. joining me from the outreach for cannabis industry association. he's here to answer some questions about what we can expect. and what can we expect? this is a seed change. >> yeah. this will be a whole new era of adult use. starting on january 1, adults 21 and older are eligible to purchase cannabis and manufactured cannabis products. >> 21 and older. there are going to be some challenges. currently only 28% of local municipalities, cities or counties regulations on the books. so where you're going to be able to purchase will be a little limited. here in the bay area, berkeley will be available in san j

i'm jessica castro alongside meteorologist mike nicco. merry christmas. nice to spend the holiday with you. >> you, too. >> it's nice to spend it with a nice co-worker. >> back at you. you look lovely. i like your red. you want to talk a little about weather? >> yes. >> pretty silent night, if you will, out there. i thought i'd show you the winds. santa didn't have much of a tail wind, about 7 miles per hour is all we could muster with that. on live doppler 7 pretty quiet. let's jump into your 12-hour acue planner. as of 7:00 santa sleeping. your kids not. by noontime to get outside and play with toys. at 4:00 around 57 to 62. by 7:00 they'll want to start playing with their indoor toys in the low to mid-50s. unfortunately, we have some unhealthy air. spare the air. more details coming up. >> now to more headlines. four people were forced from their homes overnight after a fire in brunell heights. you can see large flames in the distance. the fire department says the fire started just before 1:00 a.m. on prospect avenue flames damaged homes on other side.

jessica castro has some weekend ideas from our partners. >> listen up.coincide with the release of the latest movie are "star wars," they'll be on hand at sketch pad gallery. they'll sign copies and meet fans. so this weekend you can meet the author along with concept artist, aaron mcbride and christian are altman. this weekend's event from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. you will need to write a book. enjoyed the beloved comedy home alone. you'll listen to the fun score led by joshua gershon. get your tickets, the starting price at $69. also this weekend. showov your ugliest holiday sweaters at sweater con. the official san francisco ugly sweater pub crawl. it starts at the oyster us on right near bush street at 4:00 p.m. it takes to you several other nearby bars as well. just to go abc7 news.com and click on the hood line line line >>> coming up, a major upgrade to the abc7 news app. it will feature more customization, customized push alerts. now get tonight news that you want delivered to your phone in real-time. you can upgrade >>> the bay area company lending a h

i'm jessica castro from "abc7 mornings." let's check in with lisa argen for your forecast. mperatures are chilly, 30s and 40s, but after the next couple of hours we'll clear 60 in oakland. sue? >> we had a sigalert southbound 680 near 24 in oakland with debris in lanes. that has just been cleared. traffic is starting to flow smooth through from concord towards walnut creek. a new problem with a big rig south of 101 just before 380. headed to the airport, give yourself some extra time. >> we will be back at 11:00 for the abc7 midday news. time for "live with kelly & ryan." >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan." today, our end-of-the-year viewers' choice show. and now here are your hosts, kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] >> ♪ i will survive and be ♪ the one who's stronger >> ryan: hey, guys! how you doing? hello! hello. kelly: hi! >> ryan: hello, hello. what's up? what's up? what's up? okay. >> kelly: wait, where's our-- [cheers and applause] hey, everybody. welcome to the show. we are-- [cheers and applause] it's wednesday, december 27th. we have a

. >>> jessica castro, a woman of many languages. studying for her masters degree. >> loves documentaries. she's always reading. jessica volunteers with kids, athletic, adventurous. the girl can dance. bright and early, she's jamming. our live desk was totally made for her. there is a lot happening in the morning. jess is best at breaking it >>> happening tonight the beginning of hanukkah. the festival of lights officially began at sundown. the hanukkah menorah was lit at a special ceremony near the white house tonight. hanukkah celebrtes the rededication of the holy temple in jerusalem. it will last for eight days and nights. >>> christmas came a little early for a single mom in southern california. a secret santa gave her an unforgettable gift. from our sister station in los angeles, we learn how the generosity of a stranger is making a big impact this holiday season. >> we said that will be our tree. >> she's a single mom raising her 3-year-old daughter noelle and a 12-year-old son. >> it's joy and pain. >> she works at a secretary

jessica castro from abc7 morning has weekend ideas from our partners at hoodline. >> reporter: the lasti art book is coming out you can get it signed by the artists this weekend in san francisco. they will be on hands at sketch pad gallery between sickth street at mission and market. they will sign copies and meet fans. you can meet the author and concept artists. these pictures are from last year when rogue one was released. it's from 2 to 4 p.m. if you want t buy a book you can get it signed. a great christmas idea for the "star wars" fan in your lives. >>> enjoy the sounds of home alone from the san francisco symphony. life performances saturday at 7:00 p.m., sundayatel at 2:00 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. get tickets on gross street between franklin street and van necessary avenue. starting price, $69. also this weekend, show off your ugliest holiday sweaters at sweater con. it is the official san francisco ugly sweater pub crawl. it's friday night and starts at 4:00 near bush street. it takes you to other nearby bars as well. for more information on these events and other events as well,

i'm jessica castro from "abc7 mornings."ed following a deadly crash earlier this morning. it involved a fed ex truck. and we want to get an update from sue hall. hi, sue. >> good morning, jess. good morning, everyone. that's the good news. the bad news is there's still quite a bit of delay across 880 both north and southbound. but, yes, lanes are open and that should be recovering shortly, no long err sigalert. 580, your alternate route there not much better. if you're trying to get to the oakland airport, your best bet would be to go 580 to 98. then we still have the sigalert on the coast. both directions are getting through with traffic control near devils slide and the tunnel. jess? >>> good morning. chill still in the air pap lot-30s and 40s out there. still freezing cold in santa rosa, 32, warmest in san francisco at about 48. your commute planner, everything is green. tomorrow morning, look at this. away from the coast in san francisco, freezing cold from 1:00 to 7:00. gets a little warmer by sunday. jessica? >> okay,

jessica castro. abc7 news. >> and facebook is having new features to prevent unwanted harassment.someone you blocked sets up a new account or tries to contact from you another account they control. another feature provides he the option the ignore a messenger conversation. move it out of the inbox without having to block the center. >>> let's try this again, looking outside. the sun trying to peek out but think it will stay dark.rk.rk.r. we look at it. what's that? >> the sun has been trying all day. >> different. different weather. you see how the clouds are thickening and there's a lot of moisture in the air. here's a view of clouds over the bay from our roof top camera. currently, 54 degrees. mid 50s at oakland and mountain view. 59 in san jose. 54 at half moon bay. it is stunning. looking at the western sky, 55 degrees. various views of the atmosphere over san francisco. we will see light rain tonight and early tomorrow morning. winter begins thursday morning at 8:28. the dry pattern will continue through christmas eve but there may be more rain on monday. the approaching stor

i'm jessica castro from "abc7 mornings." and, boy, it's cold out there.racking freeze warnings still in effect for the majority of the region lasting until 9:00 this morning. it's 37 in oakland, 35 in san jose, 30 in santa rosa. half moon bay is chilly at 36 degrees. later on today, it will be a grnl yu gradual warming trend under a mix of sunshine and clouds and temperatures topping out in the mid to upper 50s. >>> this is the busiest time at the airport so i thought weed look at the airport highways. to sfo we go, some minor slowing through millbrae into sfo. 880 towards the oakland airport is clear. smooth sailing. if you're traveling to san jose airport, look at all that green. that is good. >> sue, thank you. we'll have another abc7 news update in about 30 minutes and always on our news app and abc7news.com. >>> good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. holiday travel frenzy. tens of millions on the move for christmas. lines already growing at airports across the country and traffic backing up as that major storm moves in with snow and rain. what you nee

i'm jessica castro from "abc7 mornings."broke out about 6:20 this morning near coventry and clayton roads. officials say one person was found dead inside that home. no word on what started the fire. >>> we do want to get a check of our traffic. hi, sue. >> good morning, jess. good morning, everyone. as you can see by the red, it is definitely busy. we have a couple of trouble spots. let's go over to oakland. this one is westbound 580 near keller, motorcycle down, and i am seeing slow traffic westbound in the commute direction. 16th oak street here, an accident partially blocking the left lane. >>> back on storm watch, 1, light on our storm impact scale. less than 2 tenth tn inches of rain and breezy from 7:00 to midnight up in the north bay with scattered showers elsewhere. midnight through 7:00, the heart of the bay and out of the south bay right after the morning commute. jessica? >>> thank you. we'll have another abc7 news update in about 30 minutes and ♪ candy cane lane >>> welcome back to "gma," everybody. you see the b

. >> jessica castro, sue hall and lisa argen. >>> i wish i had more bigger changes. the low clouds and fog with us throughout the morning hours. it's spreading across the bay from the north bay. sfo 36-minute delays and a little bit along the coast. it's worse up in petaluma, napa and santa rosa anywhere from nothing to three-quarters of a mile. plenty of sunshine and much milder than now. 37 in observing. boy, is that cool. this is mt. tam. 33 by the delta. and more low to mid-60s today. sue? >>> all right. we'll take a live look at san rafael and as lisa has been mentioning, you can see the fog settling in. it's not hampering your visibility here. this is north san pedro here. the lucas valley. traffic is flowing nicely. a few brake lights. but otherwise not bad at all. overall green is good. a tiny bit of slowing out of the altamont pass and into fremont on the sunol grade. a problem on 237 we'll update in a couple of minutes. >>> sue, thank you. honoring officer andrew camilleri. on christmas eve he was on the side of 880 on the lookout for dangerous drivers when

i'm jessica castro from "abc7 mornings." let's get straight to our weather with mike nicco. the fog around santa rosa. it is starting to lift but still about a half a mile. in another hour or so it will be better. we're under a spare-the-air alert today. it could get unhealthy. temperatures range from 57 in half moon bay to about 62 in antioch. my accuweather seven-day forecast, warmer than average and dry through at least saturday. hi, sue. >>> -- blocking the treasure island off ramp still out there, they said till about 9:00. minimal b.a.r.t. delay as well, ten minutes in balboa station. >> sue, thank you. time for "live with kelly & ryan." we'll be back at 11:00 for the abc7 midday news. >> announcer: it's "live with kelly & ryan." today, award-winning actress annette bening and film, television, and broadway star josh lucas, plus a performance from recording artist seal-- all next on "live." [upbeat music] ♪ and now here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest. >> ryan: good morning. hi, guys. how are you? >> kelly: hi, hi. [cheers and applause] >> ryan: good morning. >> kelly

jessica castro will be back shortly.is in for alexis smith. >> watch out for the air this week. >> it's bone-dry on live doppler 7. the breezes from yesterday are gone. also that would help mix up the atmosphere. my accuweather 12-hour day planner shows 39 to 49, cooler without those breezes. a gorgeous sun rise and sunset. if you take a picture #abc7. get outside. 60 to 62 at 4:00. and 50 to 55, still gorgeous weather at about 7:00. we've had some issues with the morning rush. take a look at it with sue. >>> 5:30 on a friday morning, yes, very heavy on the western span. into san francisco a couple incidents. one at 5th partially blocking the lane. you can see the slow traffic on the span. not so much behind the toll plaza but, yeah, all the way along the span, 5th street and fremont street. a couple incidents on the western side that's slowing things down. a new accident middle lane, westbound 80 san pablo dam road. so far traffic is getting by there okay. some slow traffic along and into the mcarthur maze. we will chec

i'm jessica castro from "abc7 mornings."the bronx in new york city. tragically, investigators now believe the fire was caused by a child playing with a stove. it's been bitterly cold in new york, and we don't know if the child was trying to get warm or is among the dead. we will continue to follow this story. mean while, sue hall has traffic. hi, sue. >>> good morning, everyone. all the green is great. if you can get out and get your drive in now, you'd be in good shape. we have 52 b.a.r.t. trains on reduced service, so they're roll 15g minutes apart and shorter trains. ferry is reduced today. and reduced service for your commute trains from the central valley leaving this afternoon from san jose. the 4 and 6 are the only afternoon trains today. >>> sue, thank you. how is that holiday shaping up? my wish was a clubhouse, but we call it "the wish house." people visit national parks from all over the world. food tastes better when you don't have to cook it. he was just supposed to be my dog. i don't know why. (vo) we're proud

. >> i'm jessica castro. reggie is off today and sue is in for alexis who is still on maternity leave. a lot of people heading out the door this morning for those holiday returns. just in case santa didn't get the list quite right. >> 90 -- how many did we say? >> 90 million. come on, folks, no one got it right? >> if your wife tells you what to buy, sometimes you get it right. >> you have to listen. >> it's not exciting. i did buy her a few extra presents she didn't know of. let's move on. visibility is less than a mile in santa rosa, that means there's fog and that means there is some moisture in the air yand the temperature is 31 so black ice is possible. watch out on those elevated surfaces like bridges and overpasses through about 9:00. my accuweather 12 hour planner, 35 to 46 is our spread. we will be in the mid to upper 50s at noon, it will be brighter this afternoon, 53 to 60 at 4:00 and 48 to 51 at 7:00, notice it is a spare of air day, wood burning ban all day today. >>> commute is fine. it's very l

. >> i'm jessica castro. i don't know how reggie got to sleep in today. >> oh, yeah.anks for joining us, everyone. obviously sue in for alexis. >> you say that smiling. all right. let's take a look at what's going on this morning. hi, everybody, as we hope he is sleeping well. from santa rosa northward to ukiah we do have fog this morning, hanging out through the rest of -- if there is even a morning commute. that's the only dense fog this morning. there will be more tonight, i will tell you more about that coming up in about 15 minutes. let's get you through today with the accuweather 12 hour planner. 38 to 47 degrees. brighter than yesterday, 55 to 58, 53 to 60 at 4:00 and right near 50k at 7:00. see that spare the air, yeah, looks like we could have poor air quality and wood burning a banned once again. i will show you neighborhoods coming up next. >>> i don't think reggie is the only one sleeping in this morning. let's take a look at san rafael, those taillights headed past the northgate mall, to central san rafael, everybody is moving at the limit for about a 20

jessica castro tracking that reaction on social media from our live desk. >>> hi, reggie.the reaction and support coming in on social media and notably from one of the oakland raiders football players, lee smith. what up, lee smith with the oakland raiders. once our season is over and my family and i move back home to tennessee, i will come see you at your school. and we can see if any of the kids are brave enough to bully me. stay strong, my man. and here's another favorite of ours we found this morning. from chris evans who basically said to stay strong and that he is going to invite him out to los angeles. having trouble with my board but those were the two big ones that i loved this morning. back to you. >> that is so great. >> you know, jess, i think the best among us had an experience with bullying in school. raise our hands, right? >> i know those tears for sure. we stand with you, my friend. let's check in with what the weather has in store. >> isn't it amazing how many of us have been. let's talk about what's going on with high pressure dominating. opening the doo

team coverage this morning beginning with jessica castro. >> reporter: reggie, there is shock and disbeliefws anchor that mayor ed lee suffered cardiac arrest. i want to show you video of him as a recycling event just yesterday in san francisco. he was smiling and shaking hands. the mayor's office issued a statement this morning with the sad news, and it says, "it is with profound sadness and terrible grief that we confirm

i'm jessica castro from "abc7 mornings." a concord man is in jail accused of a violent rampage.all happened tuesday. police say 37-year-old david gauthier tried to run over a man, crashed into the store, and also attempted to choke a canine police dog. he then yelled at officers to shoot him. he was finally taken into custody. that's making headlines. >>> but right now, let's check the traffic. hi, sue. >> good morning, everyone. it's light. the san mateo bridge, traffic conditions to flow nicely, about 15 minutes from 880 to 101. we've had pretty much green, which means at the limit all morning long. b.a.r.t. has 57 minutes, on time, ace trains out of the central valley to san jose on time. >>> good morning to you. tracking some patchy dense fog from the north bay over towards the delta but not here. east bay hills camera beautiful right now, 47 in san francisco, plenty of 30s in the north bay, but, boy, we rebound to the low to mid-60s today. jess? >> lisa, thank you. ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >>> welcome back to "gma" on this thursday morning, and what a fantastic audience we

jessica. it is very cold. here in castro valley a chilly 37 degrees. you would not want to sleep outside. up the gymnasium here at the first presbyterian church of hayward in castro valley. they said we have got to help get people in from the cold and word spread quickly most of the 25 beds were taken and they said they were just so happy to open their doors. >> a lot of the waiting lists were full. we thought what can we do to help people this year? >> reporter: alameda county will pay for them 50 nights this year. first night's already in the books. they're going to open it up. some of the people were grateful to have a place to get warm and they're happy to get their dogs inside. one thing they do need, though, more donations warm. if you can do anything first presbyterian would appreciate it. reporting live in castro valley, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >>> amy, thank you. we are tracking multiple fires. investigators think someone intentionally set at least six structures on fire. they broke out at two separate locations in antioch last night. three abandoned homes and two out buildin

jessica schneider. let's go back to joaquin castro. are you encouraged by the fbi director's testimony today?, i am, wolf. i'm glad he took a strong stand in standing up for the folks that work over at the fbi. the president has attacked members of the intelligence community not just the fbi but the cia, also, since he was a candidate. and i think that it's hurt the morale at both of those places. these are people who, in their roles, risk their lives for the safety of the americans and i'm glad that the fbi director is standing up to the president and i think, as all americans, i wish that the president would choose his words more wisely and stop this. >> the white house press secretary sarah sanders said president trump is criticizing what you described as the political leaders of the fbi, not the agents, not the law enforcement officers themselves. does the fbi see it that way? how do you see it? >> no. i mean, you think about it, wolf, he's talking about the political leadership. the political leadership is appointed by the president, nominated by the president and then appointed. so that

castro valley. amy? >> reporter: hi, good morning, jessica. there is a chp car parked here at the e.r.

jessica gives us a look at the shelters. >> reporter: workers are putting the finishing touches on 20 sheds, getting ready to welcome the first group of homeless people to their new home. >> from castro over to market, you have an invitation. >> reporter: about a dozen people move in today. eventually, a total of 40 will move in the city of oakland will provide services like social workers and health providers to the community. >> each unit is 10 by 12. they look like cabins. each one will house two people. >> reporter: 20 sheds phil more than -- with more than 2000 people living on the streets. >> we need to build more units. locally the voters passed measure a1. that is $600 million. >> reporter: the program among the first for the city working to tackle the homeless crisis should oakland residents expect to see more lots transforms into these? >> if this is successful and we can identify the resources, we absolutely will. >> reporter: kpix 5 >>> a drugstore giants is joining forces with one of the largest health insurance -- insurance. cbs is buying aetna. the invoices that i can envision it being a community- based center. services will include vision, hearing, and medical equipm