. >> leanne melendez tells us why this program is so different. leanne?orter: it is different because these are kids from underprivileged communities that could never afford to travel there just to volunteer. everything is paid for and they come back with the leadership skills to change their communities here at home. lakai gymwright is probably one of the most underprivileged students here. last summer he spent two weeks traveling to help a poor community. >> the travel is not a luxury, but it provides you with new eyes to look at your own life and your opportunities. >> reporter: because of private donations, global glimpse is able to take students from underserved communities in the bay area to i ammpoverished areas like nicaragua. they went to visit students in nicaragua. >> we painted murals and put them in the classrooms. they were lacking resources and their building wasn't in good condition. >> having an opportunity to be able to see how people outside my comfort zone experience and live day-to-day life. >> reporter: since it started in 2007, glob

in the newsroom leann melendez, abc 7 news. >>> march madness not even a few hours old, already your bracket is probably busted. destroyed. that story is up next. >>> caught on camera, fire from the streets the explosions rocking a major city today. >>> check out the western sky. it is a beautiful final full day of winter. i'll give you a look at the first day of spring coming up. >>> the sky looking pretty good at 4:37 over the golden gate bridge. traffic moving >>> a series of fiery underground explosions took place around 7:00 a.m. a short circuit and subsequent electrical arcing has been identified as the cause of the chain of events. this is the second underground fire in the last week in indianapolis, the cases are not related. >>> imagine having a job where you get paid to stand out in the sunshine and soak up the rays. >> we have to imagine it. you get paid for it. >> not everyone has the skills for this. we have sunny skies across the bay area now. lucky to have a good bit of sunshine in the area. we have a wide area of showers reaching from the midwest to mid-atlantic. and

leann melendez abc 78 news. >>> ivan rabb is 6'10". >> he's huge. >> he's a big boy and he's going to play big time basketball. >> thank you for joining us. >>> abc 7 news at 5:00 begins right now. >> the most troubling in outrageous conduct. >> the san francisco county jail turns into a fight club disturbing accusations of inmates forced to serve as gladiators. >> we have not seen evidence that this was some type of hoax. >>> lawyers come out fighting as the vallejo kidnapping story takes another big twist. >> and now we know what really happened to a man who killed a san jose police officer tuesday night. he did not die the way we first thought. record heat today changes heading into the weekend, details coming up. >> breaking news in san francisco's neighborhood. two people have been shot. sky 7 hd is live over the scene at 25th street. >> one victim was shot in the head, we don't know details about the other. both went to the hospital on their own. >> nobody is in custody at this point, police have not evacuated that area, they do not believe others are in danger. >> break news 24

in brentwood, leann melendez abc 7 news. >>> it's a little scary because i have kids. >> they are playing very close to where this bat was found in free monday the. what authorities are now telling residents next. >>> incredible nasa footage the damage happening because of this solar flair. >> i'm abc 7 news meteorologist, a warming trend is underway, i'll let you know if it's going to take us into the weekend coming up. >>> also ahead, hillary clinton's surprise bay area visit as a cover story about her is raising new eyebrows, can you see why? >>> there is understandably some concern after a disturbing finds at a freemont community center. a bat was found that tested positive for rabbies. chris winn is live with the story tonight. >> reporter: the bat was found right near the entrance to the community center. it's right next to the local library as well as a popular park. if you take a look behind me, you can see some families outside right now, this is a busy location with hundreds of people going in and out every day. that's why health officials went door to door alerting neighbors ab

in oakland, leann melendez abc 7 news 37. >>> silicon valley heavyweights return to the courtroom today. powell was expected to take the stand today but did not. she is expected to do it tomorrow. she's seeking $16 million from her former firm claiming she was discriminated against because she is a woman. attorney steven hirsch field conducted an independent investigation. he testified today that powell told him about a private jet flight spent discussing porn stars, all male dinners and being passed over for a board seat. he also recounted how powell was described as having a female chip on her shoulder. >>> san diego's chavez is the first republican candidate set to replace barbara boxer. he plans to focus on national security education and the awe taken my. harris is the only other candidate who has launched a bid for the same seat. >>> congress approved a new spending bill to keep amtrak running for another four years. the bill includes a pilot program that allows passengers to take pets on board. one car per train can carry dogs or cats. the provision was sponsored by jess denim. h

in san francisco, leanne melendez, abc 7 news. >> the amazing chain of events was set in motion by one donor. you can register to be a donor. >> more than 2,000 flights have been grounded as another storm moves towards the east coast. they are having flooding problems and lost in the way of the second. it is causing massive ice floes. >> take a look at this. this is the top of mauna kea sol cano in hawaii covered in snow. there is more in the forecast for them. we have a look at the winter storm warning. do they have our snowpack in hawaii? >> we want it. >> weird with hawaii talking about snow. it does happen, but you have to be pretty high. now in effect for the big island summit above 12000 feet. you have to go up into the mountains from 10 feet additional into the snow. the storm warning at about 6:00 in the morning. back here locally, we will show you nothing but fierce skies overhead. that's above 67 and getting up to 68 in san jose. this is the beginning of the warming. >> a battle to build more affordable housing is blowing up in one neighborhood tonight. at issue is a proposed

i'm live in oakland,ly yawn melendez abc7 news. >>> thank you leann.nd thank you for joining us for abc7 news at 4:. >> abc7 news at 5:00 begins right now with dan and cheryl. >> i snow she just didn't let somebody come and take her. >> a father waits to hear about his policing daughter as police dogs search for clues in vallejo. >> plus we are learning how dangerous this prisoner is who escaped white taking out the trash at the san francisco jail. >>> and the public outcry over private bus services. >> 30 people waiting for one of these services in front of his front doorstep and couldn't get out of his drive way. >>> it may not look like it right now but spring warmth is on the way. i'll have the temperatures coming up. >>> the fbi is called in to help search for a missing vallejo woman while her father tries to stay strong. >> the biggest fear is the horror she might be going through. that's my biggest fear. >> understandably. dieng. i'm dan ashley. >> i'm cheryl jennings. thank you for joining us. i'm been 27 hours since denizese huskins was report

. >> lyanne melendez joins us live in the newsroom with more on how the president's initiative will work. leannr: the obama administration will provide $100 million in grants to make this happen. it connects the city with training institutions and then employers' high-tech business. the money is coming from what companies pay the government to bring in foreign workers. in other words, h 1 b visa money. this woman started training today for a career in technology. for the next six months she and her classmates will undergo extensive training at year up a non-profit dedicated to helping 18 to 24-year-olds land a tech job. >> somebody already told me that maybe i should be in project man management because i have good public speaking skills and they are starting to see skills i didn't know i had in myself. >> reporter: their training is free, thanks to corporate support and donations. they also get a stipend and that's just the beginning. >> after the the first six months, they earn an internship with a company like a microsoft linkedin, sales force or facebook and finish their internship, they ar