in the newsroom melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. >> melanie, thank you.issions scandal have been some of the most popular on our website. abc 7 news.com we put together a list of the bay area residents who were charged in the scam and you can find that online at abc7news.com. >>> all right. well, happening today, national ravioli day. so why is that making news tonight? interesting. >> none really other than to remind us that one of san francisco's favorite deli's, luca's, i've actually had their ravioli, it's amazing, it's closing in one month. >> oh, man. i have never tried it. i'll have to try it before it closes. abc 7 news reporter leanne melendez shows you people are stocking up and holding on to their memories. >> two of the italian sausage. >> i've been coming to luca's since i moved to san francisco in 1982. ♪ start spreading the news ♪ let everyone know ♪ that the store's getting ready to close ♪ >> reporter: it's not easy saying good-bye to an old friend. customers began stocking up on their favorite items they could only find at a place like l

melanie woodrow, thank you so much. was telling us about shows more than two-thirds of bay area residents are willing to pay up if it means improved infrastructure and expanded transit. close to 2,000 people were asked to choose between two potential funding sources. the first was a one cent sales tax. 71% said they support that plan. the second choice was a $50 billion bond and gross receipts tax on businesses. 64% of people said they'd go for that option. the poll was conducted by the oakland leadership group. >>> oakland is getting cash to deal with illegally dumped materials. the recycling and recovery is awarding grants to oakland two southern california cities. oakland's grant just over 160,000. it will go toward the development of a rapid response crew to clear dumped items at city-owned and managed properties. some money will also be dedicated to expanding the city's bulky item pickup program. >>> the instagram influencer who is not your typical poster. >> somebody started following me. suddenly i got a big spik

in boston, melanie woodrow, "abc7 news." >>> lyft has become the first ride handling startup to go public. connu ugh the end of the closing bell. lyft had a good first day, starting at $72 a share, ending the trading day at just above $78 a share. experts say it's just the start of the tech ipo tidal wave, with other countries to follow suit. >>> abc 7 is committed to building a better bay area. next week, we'll be looking at how these rideshare companies have changed the landscape here and will focus on traffic, safety, and the drivers themselves, even with today's lyft ipo, many find themselves struggling to make a living. >> they've taken more than 50%. more than 50%. >> rideshare realities starts on sunday night and continues all next week as we examine the issues and challenges the industry is facing here in the bay area. >>> a whole new meaning tonight to the phrase "cuckoo for coko puffs." what officers found inside the cereal. >>> it started with one sister and dna result revealed shocki results. >>> the governor plans to fix the long waits at the dmv and the price tag to do it. >

abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow is live in the newsroom with the latest. melanie? >> the bill aims to eliminate the three most common poverty-related tows, leaving intact dozens of other reasons a vehicle could be towed. the bay area is known for high costs, including steep towing fees. the average fee to retrieve a car from a tow yard is $500. >> when you add add daily storage, additional fees and fines, the cost to retrieve a car could often skyrocket to $1500. >> which district 17 assembly member david chu says is having a devastating impact on low and middle class residents. today he introduced a bill to eliminate poverty-related tows if the owner has five or more unpaid parking tickets. if the car registration is more than six months out of date, or when a car has been legally parked for more than 72 hours. information law enforcement and meter maids have access to when calling a tow truck company. mary lovelace says she was working as an interior home improvement specialist when things got rough. >> i was unable to continually look for work once they put the

abc7 news reporter melanie woodrow has details about those implicated. >> reporter: and according to a criminal complaint, he told a cooperating witness, you understand my daughter is not worthy to be on that team. he allegedly paid $50,000 to the nonprofit key worldwide foundation for an s.a.t. test proctor to correct his daughter's answers on her college entrance exam which she took all the way in west hollywood with a psychologist's note saying she needed extra time. the money also went to have his daughter recruited to usc as a water polo player, which she is not. when his daughter scored 1380 out of 1600, he was concerned, telling cooperating witness one, i mean, my daughter's score could have been 1550, right? later he was worried about an article coming out. quote, is there any risk that this thing blows up in my face? hasn't in 24 years, says cooperating witness one. bruise isaac son, president of a real estate development firm in wood side also worried about press coverage. he allegedly paid more than $600,000 for the college recruitment scheme and the college entrance exam

live at sfo, melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. >> all right, melanie. of course, we talked about the north american carriers not grounding that aircraft for now. but some international carriers have. what are they saying about that in terms of the rationale? >> well, they haven't shared the rational per se. but something to consider here is that the max is not a large part of the fleet for those international airlines. now all of the airlines here say that they stand by the safety of this aircraft and that they're following faa regulations. but some people who are well versed in this industry have pointed out that a grounding here in the united states would have a larger service disruption because this aircraft takes up a larger part of the fleet here in the united states. kristen? >> all right, melanie, thank you so much. >>> well, along the russian river, recovery took a turn for the better today as the county began moving in garbage trucks to get rid of all of the flood damage that you've seen in the last few days. abc 7 news reporter wayne freedman

melanie woodrow is in the newsroom with more on this tragic story and what the chp is saying the big rig driver did wrorngs melanie. >> the family was on the way to san francisco after receiving a call that their father, already in the hospital, might not make it. now, three of his children have died and a fourth is hospitalized. the california highway patrol says that speed and the slick road appear to be factors in the collision. the four siblings were in this ford escape when they crashed into the back of a big rig. the big rig was parked on the side of i-80 and the driver sleeping. the chp says he was parked illegally on the shoulder and only supposed to pull over for an emergency. the driver did not have any injuries. the chp cited the driver. i spoke with the victim's brother who identified his siblings who passed as 26-year-old eli villarreal. 22-year-old sarah villarreal and 18-year-old eva villarreal. 17-year-old aaron villarreal has fractures and a broken leg. the big rig is owned by rope transportation out -- they're insured and have not had any reported crashes in the last

but they can't talk about the case. >> melanie woodrow live from boston tonight, thank you. >> melanie has been tweeting all day long while in boston, sharing information about what's been happening in court and the details of each case with local connections. you can follow her her @melaniewoodrow. and follow us for all your local news needs. >>> this is the view over san francisco from our sutro tower camera. you see the water there, not exactly san francisco, the city, per se. a beautiful day, though. plenty of snow in the sierra, this is lake tahoe tv, great day there. abc 7 news weather anchor spencer christian has the weekend forecast. >> skies are clearing just in time for the weekend and in time for a weekend warm-up. we have sunny skies as you see all across the bay area, depicted here on live doppler 7. the view from mt. tam shows fewer clouds than we had just an hour ago. 60 to 61 degrees in oakland, mountain view, san jose, and morgan hill, 59 at half moon bay. the view of the western sky from the east bay hills camera, another spectacular view. 65 in vacaville. low 60s in

. >> melanie woodrow joins us from san francisco international airport with reaction from travelers. melanie? >> reporter: ama and dan, we spoke with passengers who were arriving here on an air canada flight. they were concerned and so are people online. airline passengers are frustrating that normal rebooking policies are in place for airlines with the boeing 737 max 8 in the fleet after two fatal crashes in less than five months. thect sunday when an ethiopian airlines max 8 crashed killing 157 people including eight americans. >> it was a result of inadequately trained pilots and an airplane that wouldn't be dispatched and here we do not appear to have something directly related to pilot action. >> i trust air canada. it is worrisome to a certain extent but i don't pay too much attention to it. >> the flight returning back home that ultimately will not be the same type of plane but then again we bought our tickets so -- >> reporter: ethiopian airlines grounded the four other max 8, regulators in china and indonesia are doing the same. the max 8 continue to be in service here in the

abc 7 reporter melanie woodrow was in the courtroom today. >> cameras were not allowed in court today as 39-year-old maria vides appeared. she was crying throughout the proceeding. by phone, her brother said that she's heartbroken, and that the couple loved each other. vides and her husband, pittsburg adult education principal paul shatswell seemed to be happily married. it's not clear what happened saturday leading up to the shooting. shatswell has eight children ranging in age from 6 to 29. the case was put over until next week for another arraignment and potential bail hearing. vides' attorney says she plans to plead not guilty. a prosecuting attorney says there could be an amended complaint. >> in the event that the victim in this case does pass, there will be an amended complaint changing the charges because of the status of the victim. >> this has been especially difficult for both families. vides' attorney says he's waiting to receive discovery in the case before making a statement. in pittsburg, melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. >>> bart police say shifts from cars parked at statio

in oakland, melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. >>> this might highlight one of the people want to leave the bay area. how much do you think this little sliver of real estate in san francisco without a house on it is selling for? well here is a hint. seven figures. >>> last call for alcohol could get pushed back in california. the bay area cities where you might be able to get a drink after 2:00 a.m. >>> i'm joined in order to serve this moment. >> apple turned silicon valley into a hollywood with a who's who of stars in the big >>> there is no sugar coating it, san francisco real estate market is continuing to be far out of reach for most people. >> the latest examples an empty lot in the glen park neighborhood. the price -- here is abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez. >> reporter: three years ago this lot sold for $950,000. since then the price has doubled. asking price, $1.85 million. >> two blocks away is b.a.r.t. and also 280 freeway and jump on the freeway and if you want to go south to silicon valley, you're right there. >> reporter: and just around the corner are the neighborhood sho

melanie woodrow is traveling to boston to cover the hearings for some of the parents accused in operation varsity blues. our live coverage begins here on abc 7 news. >> major construction is in effect. we told you about the project about two months ago as part of our commitment to building a better bay area including issues that impact your quality of life. these changes will approve transform the street into a two-way street and include wider sidewalks and replacing cold water mains and new light poles. as one project begins, another may be delayed. the opening of $1.6 billion subway may be pushed back from 2019 to 2020. they found a dispute with theee contractor and threatened the contract's schedule and budget. >> finding solutions to the issues can come in many forms. we invite you to share your ideas. >> lyft is going public tomorrow. the ride share giant's initial public offering is $72 a share, the top of the expected range. that values the company at more than $20 billion. shares will trade under the ticker symbol, lyft. uber is expected to follow suit next month. >> porch pi rasy

abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow is in the newsroom with more on this very tragic story. melanie? >> the villareal family was on their way to san francisco overnight after receiving a call that their father, who was already in the hospital, might not make it. now three of his children have died, and a fourth is hospitalized. the california highway patrol says that speed and the slick road appear to be factors in the collision. the four siblings were in this ford escape when they crashed into the back of a big rig. the big rig was parked on the side of i-80 and the driver was sleeping. the chp says the driver was parked illegally on the shoulder, and that you're only supposed to pull over for an emergency. the driver does not have any injuries. the chp has cited the driver. i spoke with the victim's brother, who identified his siblings who passed as 26-year-old eli villareal, 22-year-old sarah villareal, and 18-year-old eva villareal. 17-year-old aaron villareal has fractures and a broken leg. the big rig involved in the crash is own by rogue transportation llc out of orego

in boston, melani woodrow, and 7 news. >>> san francisco-based lyft has become the first ride-sharing startup to go public. yesterday the celebration continued through the end of the closing bell. lyft had a good first day on the stock market starting at $72 per share and ending the trading day just above $78 a share. experts say lyft is just the start of the tech ipo tidal wave with major companies like uber, airbnb and pinterest to follow suit. abc zen is committed to building a better bay area. next week we'll look at how ride-share companies changed the landscape. we'll focus on traffic, safety and the drivers themselves. even many of those behind the wheel behind themselves struggling to make a living. >> they take more than 50%, more than 50%. >> ride-share realities starts tomorrow night and continues all next week as we examine the issues and challenges the industry faces here in the bay area. >>> the time now is 5:09 on this saturday morning. lisa has been keeping an eye on the forecast for us. you're looking at sunshine. >> we have a nice weekend ahead, in fact sunny and war

melanie woodrow is live with the story. >> here is the real burn on this one. not only did lauren isaacson never play, the coaching director there says that there wasn't even a team for her age group during the years she supposedly would have played. the key athletics club lauren as the captain of her soccer team. a mid feerld majoring in psychology and includes a similar description. team captain from to 12 to 2016 and selected team mvp in 2015. >> i would say team captain and mvp would be hard to be that of a team that doesn't exist. >> reporter: zach says during the years isaacson claims she was on a team, a team for her age group didn't even exist. >> and we have been unable to substantiate any clams. >> reporter: and according to the complaint, her first choice was a us xrchlt as c as a socce krut. and former head coach foshded the soccer profile to the head coach of the men's soccer. u xrchlt la h ach ucla has placed him on leave. >> it smelled fishy to me. >> reporter: the complaint says that lauren's parents took part in the recruitment scheme and the e

his mother and brother spoke only to abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow. >> reporter: the villarealamily never imagined they'd be mourning three of nine siblings killed early thursday morning. eli was the funny one, sara the kind-hearted one and ella the brilliant one. >> she had so many plans of what she wanted to do in the future. >> reporter: their future cut short as they drove in the middle of the night to see their father who was hospitalized with stage four colon cancer. >> we were getting ready to mourn my husband, to grieve my husband. they were there that very last day. they hugged me and they kissed me. they were trying not to say good-bye to my husband, but i didn't know what they were doing and we were saying good-bye to each other. >> reporter: the california highway patrol says slick roads and speed may have caused their car to swerve. it collided with the back of a big rig parked illegally on the shoulder of i-80 westbound. brother dan drove to the scene when his siblings' phone was pinging. a chp officer was already there. >> he said three of the passengers didn't m

the i-team's melanie woodrow was in boston for the proceedings. >> reporter: parents accused of paying to help their children lie and cheat surrounded by their attorneys and not saying a word. >> let us walk by, please. >> reporter: augustine's daughter, a purported usc water polo player whose profile included a photoshopped picture of her face on somebody else's body. he was concerned about this blowing up in my face. >> is this what you meant by blowing up in your face? >> reporter: also appearing, bill mcglashon now fired from his job. he was accused of paying for the college entrance exam cheating scheme and college recruitment scheme. his son, a purported usc football player. >> did you use the side door? >> the judge denying his request to take an already planned international april family vacation. his pr rep said his son has a diagnosed learning disability since eighth grade. also that he didn't pay for the side door scheme. diane and todd blake from ross covering their faces from umbrellas. their daughter a purported usc volleyball recruit. >> did you pay to help your child ge

his mother and brother spoke only to abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow. >> reporter: the villarealy'd be mourning three siblings. >> she had so many plans of what she wanted to do in the future. >> reporter: their future cut short as they drove in the middle of the night to see their father who was hospitalized with stage four colon cancer. >> we were getting ready to mourn my husband, to grieve my husband. they were there that very last day. they hugged me and they kissed me. they were trying not to say good-bye to my husband, but i didn't know what they were doing and we were saying good-bye to each other. >> reporter: the california highway patrol says slick roads and speed may have caused their car to swerve. it collided with the back of a big rig parked illegally on the shoulder of i-80 westbound. brother dan drove to the scene when his siblings' phone was pinging. a chp officer was already there. >> she said three of the passengers didn't make it and one of them is critically injured and is fighting for his life in the hospital. >> reporter: the chp says the driver had pulled

his mother and brother spoke only to abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow. >> reporter: the villarealver imagined they'd be mourning three of nine siblings killed early thursday morning. eli was the funny one, sara the kind-hearted one and eva the brilliant one. >> she had so many plans of what she wanted to do in the future. >> reporter: their future cut short as they drove in the middle of the night to see their father who was hospitalized with stage four colon cancer. >> we were getting ready to mourn my husband, to grieve my husband. they were there that very last day. they hugged me and they kissed me. they were trying not to say good-bye to my husband, but i didn't know what they were doing and we were saying good-bye to each other. >> reporter: the california highway patrol says slick roads and speed may have caused their car to swerve. it collided with the back of a big rig parked illegally on the shoulder of i-80 westbound. brother dan drove to the scene when his siblings' phone was pinging. a chp officer was already there. >> he said three of the passengers didn't make it an

abc 7 news i-team reporter melanie woodrow is in boston to cover the hearings for some of the parents charged in the varsity blues scandal. >>> the contract is blamed for cracked steel beams at the salesforce transit center are challenging accusations they botched inspections. quality control inspectors working for the steel contractor and fabricator company failed to discover a critical construction flaw. but the chronicle reports, both companies say they've been denied requests to present their side of the story. transit hub has been closed since september. repairs are expected to be completed by mid-june. >>> last month when he visited san francisco, he did so with little fanfare. a lot has changed in a month. the first openly gay man to run for president is suddenly a hot ticket for the democrats. if you don't know how to pronounce pete >> while speaking in san francisco thursday night, he used the quote to explain why he rushed to a hospital in south bend, and indiana where he's mayor. he also says it's his motivation for being a public servant. >> you can really in a lifetime or

melanie woodrow is live in ther >> reporter: we know those two lawsuits and could be more, one names rick singer the key and multiple university defendants. new today a class action lawsuit filed by stanford university students who want their application fees returned. the lawsuit claims stanford degrees are not worth as much as before because prospective employers. the complaint says had she known that the system at usc was warped with fraud, she would have -- what they got was a process tainted by bribes and school officials who failed to assure an honest application process. law professor david levine says they may get it. >> that is a good case. >> reporter: stanford university says the lawsuit is under

in pittsburgh, melanie woodrow, abc7 news. >>> the city of oakland held an emotional service today to mark the 10th anniversary of one of the darkest days for its police department. it was on this day in 2009 when these four officers were gunned down. sergeant mark dunigan, sergeant urban romans, and daniel sakay, and joel aggie. ♪ family of the fallen officers joined members of the police department and the city officials to honor the four and celebrate their commitment to the community. police chief anne kirkpatrick fought back tears as she honored the officers she never knew and those in her department now. >> this terrible incident began with a traffic stop in east oakland where a convicted felon, lavelle nixon, ambushed two of the officers. nixon shot and killed sergeant romans and sakay during the manhunt that followed before he was eventually gunned down. >>> in just about 20 minutes, a mountainview school district will vote on whether to enter an agreement to build housing for teachers. the superintendent of the mountainview school district wants to develop a 144-unit apartmen

abc 7 reporter melanie woodrow is live in the newsroom with the details of the lawsuit. >> the class action lawsuit filed today describes one plaintiff who is a student at tulane university as having had an emotional breakdown and needing to be hospitalized after not getting into her chosen schools. she is one of several plaintiffs named in the class which includes a stanford university student as well. the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit include individuals who applied to the universities named as defendants. the lawsuit says the plaintiffs paid an admission application fee to one or more of the universities name and got rejected. one of the plaintiffs is a stanford student who applied to usc. the lawsuit says, quote, had she known that the system at usc was warped and rigged by fraud, she would not have spent the money to apply to the school. the attorney who filed the complaint say students didn't receive what they paid for. in an e-mail to abc 7 news saying, quote, the students allege that what they got was a process tainted by bribes and school officials who failed to ass

in the news room, melanie woodrow. >>> thank you.stories have been the most searched on our website. >>> valero's shut down of a refinery is fueling a spike in gas prices. forced parts of a plant to tefrp repair shut down and repair the problem. prices have gone up $0.15 i i ii week. >>> dungenness crab season is coming to an early end this month. >> a look at the wide ranging impact of this decision. >> reporter: these lines that atta attach buoys that tend to be the problem. under a settlement announced today, crab season will end april 15 this year and even earlier in subsequent years. >> april is important. because when we get to spring, it is the time of year that we have the most whales swimming around with crab gear. >> reporter: the agreement involved the center for diversity agreement. and besideshe shortened crab season, they will come up with ways to end whales from getting trapped. >> they come up with guidelines like limit the amount of extra rope, that is a big factor. and the other thing is limiting that surface rope b

. >> melanie woodrow thank you. and more new developments on this case this afternoon. the attorneylienne of the key w helped the fbi bring charges. rick singer's lawyer tells abc7 news that rick singer cooperated with the fbi for six months. the lawyer says singer is pleading full responsibility and pleaded guilty. >> actress lori daughter is also facing backlash. >> the hall mark channel is no longer working with loughlin. saying it has stopped development of all productions involving loughlin that airs on their channels. including "garage sales mysteries." she returned to the u.s. and was arrested in los sephora no longer working with her water. olivia repeatedly told her followers she wasn't really cared about the school she was interested in going to the parties. the school says it plans to conduct a case by case review for current students and graduates who may be connected. the irs is looking into the so-called donations. state lawmakers are calling on uc president to open an investigation on whether employees at uc campuses accepted bribes. the list of the paren

. >>> in the newsroom, melanie woodrow. abc7 news. >> it's just awful. >>> only an abc7 news, a major development. attorneys for murder spmtd tiffany lee will ask a judge to allow her to be tried separately from her co-defendant. both had been scheduled to stand trial in august for the killing of keith green, the father of lee's two children. lee's attorney says that the august trial will interfere with her triems for breast cancer, they want to go to trial in the they won't be ready before august. the hearing on it is scheduled for next wednesday. >>> an effort is on the way to try to find solutions for affordable housing in silicon valley, but they're already running into trouble. >>> also, worries over the windows of san francisco's tallest building. >>> and otto warmbier's parents, they're not happy. later, their pointed comments for president trump's support for kim jong-u the one with the designer dog collar.(sashimi) psst. hey, you! wondering how i upgraded to this sweet pad? a 1,200-square-foot bathroom, and my very

his mother and brother spoke only to melanie woodrow who was truly tragic story, melanie. >> this is an exceptionally painful story especially because the children were on the way to the hospital to visit their dying father when they were killed. three of nine siblings have passed and a fourth is fighting for his life. >> the villa rial family never imagined they would be mourning three of nine siblings, sarah the kindhearted one, eli the funny one. >> their future cut short as they drove in the middle of the night to see their father who was hospitalized with stage four colon cancer. >> we were getting ready to mourn my husband, to grieve my husband. they were there the very last day. they hugged me and they kissed me. they were trying not to say good-bye to my husband, but i didn't know we were saying good-bye to each other. >> reporter: the california highway patrol says slick roads and speed may have caused their car to swerve. it collided with the back of a big rig parked illegally on the shoulder of i-80 westbound. brother dan drove to the scene when his siblings phone was ping

abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow joins us live from the newsroom. >> reporter: the bill aims to eliminate the three most common type of poverty related tows, leaving intact two dozen other reasons a vehicle could be towed. >> the bay area is known for high costs including steep towing fees. the average fee to retrieve a car from a tow dwrayard is $500 >> when you add daily storages, parking tickets, additional fees and fines, the cost to retrieve a car could skyrocket to $1,500. >> reporter: which district 17 assembly member david chu said is having a devastating impact on low and middle class residents. today he introduce add bill to eliminate poverty related tows, if the owner has five or more unpaid parking tickets, if the car registration is more than six months out of date or when a car has been legally parked for more than 72 hours, information u law enforcement and meter maids have access to when calling a tow truck company. diane tober says when she went to register her car she discovered she had more than $1,600 worth of unpaid parking tickets and fines. >> when you're trying to

abc's melanie woodrow has the story. >> reporter: when julie welsh was looking for a job in advertisingretty obvious she was expecting. >> i was very much showing and didn't try to hide it. >> reporter: she didn't think it was possible to make a move until after her baby girl was born. >> i had the voice in my head it wasn't the right, it wasn't going to be possible. >> reporter: but the more she thought about it, the more determined she became. >> yes, i'm carrying this child but my husband and i are both having this baby, and he would never have to think twice about this. >> reporter: after a promising networking hearing at heat, an advertising agency owned by deloitte digital, she decided to really test the waters. >> i feet like this could be a really gate fit and he felt similarly, i was ready to move forward if he was. >> i had been trying to get jen to come work with me since about 2007. so i was pretty happy that she reached out. >> reporter: at 6 1/2 months pregnant, not only did she get the job but she told her new employer she would be better at it if she waited five months a

and abc 7 i team reporter melanie woodrow is traveling to boston to cover the hearing for some of the parents involved in the operation. >>> and audit shows the dmv has utterly failed in its mission to provide accurate and timely services to the people of california. eight-hour weight times became common last year as millions of californians applied for federal real id cards. the audit shows the dmv was negligent for preparing for the onslaught and then lied. and one legislator says it is still not ready for the volume of business that is coming. >> 20 million californians still have to get their real id. the clock is ticking, and the dmv has to be ready for another onslaught of a lot of people coming through. they're not ready for that yet. >> auditors found 30% of the windows at dmv field offices statewide have nobody behind them to help customers. the new real id cards, they're really confusing, and we've covered the problems and the issues extensively here on abc 7. you can learn from the ordeals that others have gone through. look for real id stories on abc7news.com. >>> san fran

abc 7 news reporter melanie woodrow working to learn more details and will have more at 5:00. >>> a huge admission from civic gas and electric about the devastating camp fire in butte county. pg&e acknowledged that the power equipment is likely to blame for the fire. the deadliest fire in state history. wildfire liabilities raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a corporation and and utility. the information came as they announced the fourth quarter financial results. they filed for bankruptcy protection last month. >>> two major announcement today from tesla. first, the bay area condition says it's going to close most of its show rooms and it will only take orders for cars online. >>> secondly, tesla, announced it's dlifg oren the original promise to deliver a version for $35,000. the model 3 is the newest and lowest cost vehicle. it's been available for about three years. but until today, buyers would have had to pay about $43,000. they're desperately trying to cut costs. >>> the oakland teachers strike hits one week. the support to the striking teachers, they're gett

an abc 7 news i-team reporter melanie woodrow will be in a boston federal courtroom for the upcoming hearing for some of the parents accused of varsity blues scandal. our coverage begins right here on abc 7 news. >>> first people were trampling the super bloom in southern california. now this. that's a helicopter landing right on top of the sensitive flowers. everything bad. >> also up ahead, on the road, one of b.a.r.t.'s new trains headed for the bay area. where it was just spotted. >>> jessica, this one is for you. i want to show you what's going to happen tomorrow, saturday and sunday. you were so looking forward to the sunshine and warmer weather. >> yea. >> three days of it. because, what, four out of the search days of and because redfin.com is america's #1 brokerage site our agents get more eyes on your home so you sell for thousands more than the one next door. don't get stuck in the past. sell with a redfin agent. >>> weave got a downpour here in fremont towards pimilpitas, pas padre park ray. this is going to go through sunol. livermore and altamont pass by 6:44. get ready

. >>> abc 7 news i-team reporter melanie woodrow will be in federal court for the upcoming hearing for some of the parents accused in the varsity blues scandal. >>> university of san francisco making changes to its s.a.t. and a.c.t. admission requirements. standardized test scores will be optional. the decision follows a year-long assessment that shows high school performance is a better predictor of first-year college performance. the new policy will begin for students applying for fall of 2020. >>> you're coming in from solano county, vacaville, fairfield down to vallejo, it is wet right now. also 680 through alamo, danville boulevard towards danville, camino ramon, out towards blackhawk, you're getting wet right now also. temperatures in this area are running in the mid to upper 40s. even a 50 in walnut creek, concord and pittsburg. let's see if everywhere else we've got upper 40s to low 50s from the south bay up to san francisco, 55. napa at 52. novato at 48. some of the temperatures are running up to 10 to 13 degrees cooler than yesterday. dress appropriately. here's a look at the

. >>> i-team reporter melanie woodrow is also in boston to cover the hearings for some of the parentsn varsity plus. look for her live reports later today on abc 7 news. >>> the first democratic debates are sets for june 26th and june 27th in florida. one of the candidates, pete buttigieg spoke to sold-out crowd in san francisco last night. the 37-year-old is the first openly gay man to run for president. polls out this week put him in third and fifth place in a crowded democratic primary field. the burning question a lot of people have when they see his name is how do you say it? his husband gave us a lesson. >> buddha judge and boot edge edge. >> there you go. two ways to help you remember how to say it. buttigieg is the mayor of south bend, indiana. there he goes by mayor pete. >> they're a t-shirt being sold. the pronounser, boot-edge-edge. clever marketing. hello mike nicco. >> hi guys. let's look at the temperatures. we've got mid-40s through most of the south bay. morgan hill at 40. 50 in alameda and stran the warm spot. look at danville, 37. novato 39. the rest of us in the 40

in boston, melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. >>> san francisco-based lyft has become the first ride-sharing startup to go public. yesterad good first day on the stock market starting at $72 per share and ending the trading day just above $78 a share. experts say lyft is just the start of the tech ipo tidal wave with major companies like uber, airbnb and pinterest to follow suit. abc 7 is committed to building a better bay area. next week we'll look at how ride-share companies changed the landscape. we'll focus on traffic, safety and the drivers themselves. even with yesterday's lyft ipo, many of those who are behind the wheel find themselves struggling to make a living. >> they take more than 50%, more than 50%. >> ride-share realities starts tomorrow night and continues all next week as we examine the issues and challenges the industry faces here in the bay area. >>> lisa, certainly a lot to talk about on that topic. for our weather, a nice break from the rain. >> yeah, that's right. temperatures will be above average. what is that? a great last weekend of march. you see a little fog from

abc 7 news i-team reporter melanie woodrow is in boston to cover the story.r her live reports later today right here on abc 7 news. >>> the contractors blamed for a cracked steel beam at the salesforce transit center are challenging accusations that they botched inspections. transbay joint powers authority officials say quality control inspectors working for the steel contractor and fabricator companies fail to discover a critical construction flaw. but the chronicle says both companies say they've been denied requests to present their side of the story. the transit hub has been closed since september. it was barely open. repairs are expected to be completed by mid-june. >> the first openly gay man to run for president is back in the bay area. last night, pete buttigieg spoke to a sold-out crowd in san francisco telling them he believes, quote, in making yourself useful whenever you can. buttigieg explained that's why he rushed to a hospital in south bend, indiana to help translate for a sudanese family and he also says it's his motivation for being a public