michael finney explains what's behind a pandemic puppy shortage. >> he's been good so far. he goes through these weird phases. >> reporter: jonathan just picked up his new puppy from a breeder less than two weeks ago. >> it's nice to come home to that stress reliever and he is kind of a calming, you know, influence. >> reporter: jonathan was put on a waiting list all the way back 13 months ago. since then, he says the price has doubled and the wait for i er has increased to two years. >> we were expecting a handful of months at best, maybe six. we had no idea it was going to be this long. >> the demand for puppies since the pandemic has surged. it's not just breeders, but shelters, which can't supply enough puppies to keep up with

michael finney explains what's behind a pandemic puppy shortage. >> he's been good so far.e goes through these weird phases. >> reporter: jonathan just picked up his new puppy from a breeder less than two weeks ago. >> it's nice to come home to that stress reliever and he is kind of a calming, you know, influence. >> reporter: jonathan was put on a waiting list all the way back 13 months ago. since then, he says the price has doubled and the wait for i puppy from a breeder has increased to two years. >> we were expecting a handful of months at best, maybe six. we had no idea it was going to be this long. >> the demand for puppies since the pandemic has surged. it's not just breeders, but shelters, which can't supply enough puppies to keep up with the demand since the pandemic. >> i think we've had maybe 15 puppies since the beginning of the year who have come in our shelter. >> buffy says it's that way all around the bay area. it's the same with the family dog project in san francisco. >> puppies probably don't stay in a shelter for more than a couple of days. >> sadly, ill

waiting for their benefits likely won't be cleared for another 3 1/2 months. 7 on your side's michael finney joins us with the latest. michael. >> reporter: ama, this all came out today in a hearing led by state senator jerry hill of san mateo, who was looking into all of the issues and where the e.d.d. stands today. e.d.d. told lawmakers it has implemented a new i.d. verification system known as i.d. me. now, that was the number one recommendation from a report from the e.d.d. strike team. e.d.d. also said it's making progress in clearing the backlog of claimants who have waited longer than three weeks for their benefits. that backlog totaled 1.6 million claims in mid september. >> over 424,000 of those individuals are no longer waiting. we are on track to eliminate the backlog by january 2021. >> we want to make sure that claimants get the benefits that they are entitled to, and we don't necessarily want to be an agency that is, you know, stopping fraud at all costs. >> reporter: the e.d.d. says it will take till january 27th to clear the backlog. i am keeping close track. i'll be back her

it happened at an assembly hearing and 7 on your side's michael finney is live with an update. and michael, the e.d.d.'s problems were really exposed since the beginning of this pandemic. >> yeah, i've got to tell you, we've been reporting on this for a very long time, and today you may remember that the e.d.d. took two weeks to what it called reset. well, today lawmakers wanted to know what's changed since then. what is better? as it turns out, the lawmakers were not too impressed. e.d.d. officials reported that a new i.d. verification system is now in place and 64% of new claims are automatically verified. however, lawmakers said e.d.d. has barely put a dent in a backlog of more than 1.5 million claims. those won't be cleared up till next year. >> it went down from 1.6 million to 1.3 million. so not a big dent in that. you're saying that you won't liquidate the backlog until january 2021. can you tell me why it's going to take that long to do that? >> yes. you're correct. it's going to take that long because that's -- the work is very complex and complicated. we have x number

milea michael finney here. i know many of you are waiting for your covid-19 payments.i asked the edd what's going on. why can't our viewers get their money? >> there's a number of different things that could impact someone's eligibility. >> 7 on your side got your emails, hundreds of emails all about the edd, and you deserve better. that's why i promise to keep asking the tough questions and getting answers. so stay with us and we'll stay on it. >>> coming up on abc7 news at 6:00, we go in-depth into the violence that happened at a weekend free speech rally in san francisco. the i-team's dan noyes spoke to both sides including the victim who got two teeth knocked out. >>> michael finney is helping homeowners in high fire risk areas and dealing with high home insurance rates as a result. he'll show you ways to save money. that's all coming up in half an hour on abc7 news at 6:00. >>> this week an attraction put up the celebrate the 150th anniversary of golden gate park will finally open to the public, a giant observation wheel. >> the wheel's first spin is a story of re

. >>> michael finney joins us live with a look at black friday. how it's different this year. it's part of our week long look at the new way to holiday. >>> uber and lyft are like every big guy i've ever brought down. prop 22 doesn't "help" their drivers-- it denies them benefits. 22 doesn't help women. it actually weakens sexual harassment laws, which are meant to protect them. uber and lyft aren't even required to investigate sexual harassment claims. i agree with the la times: no on 22. uber and lyft want all the power. so, show them the real power is you. vote no on prop 22. >>> an east bay school is gearing up to help the family matters shelter in emeryville. students and faculty at mto school of islamic are celebrating the birthday of profphey muhammad by donating supplies. each contains a face mask, hand sanitizer and healthy snacks. >> today our community across the globe will be celebrating this holy day by performing acts of charity or service in asia pacif pacific, europe and north america. >> in all, the schools around the state will be donating more than 100,000 p

. >>> i'm dan >>> 7 on your side michael finney takes you inside an edd fraud. you're going to hear from two bay area residents who say they were asked to take part in a cri crime. >> announcer: this is abc 7 news. >>> a new step in the presidential election. san mateo county began opening and processing mail in ballots today but the i-team is reporting duplicate voters sent out. a single voter receiving a second or third ballot. good evening and thank you for joining us. >> one vote there received a second ballot is worried this may be an example of potential problems with the election the president has been raising. dan was asked to investigate and he is live with answers tonight, dan. >> dan and ama, most experts agree the amount of voter fraud is very small compared to the 156 million people expected to vote this year. still, it's worth checking out every complaint. she came to this country taijuan and became a u.s. citizen. she's concerned about following the rules in this very important election but look, she's received two ballots, exact same spelling of

michael finney will have an update. >> you've probably seen it.ve gone shopping, the >>> there's been an outpouring of offers to help a mother and her 4-year-old son. they was left homeless living in their car after the edd mishandled her case. michael finney received hundreds of calls, emails and messages some from as far away as the east coast with people wanting to help this family out of their car. michael has the latest. >> i told you about shelby hues and her little boy kalan living the good life in berkeley until the pandemic hit. edd kept denying her benefits. so mother and son wound up living in their station wagon. >> made a life for myself and now it's gone just like that. i just started losing everything one by one. >> they've been camping outside, mother and son facing dangers being alone in the dark. edd never did help. but today 7 on your side viewers did. >> just broke my heart to see her and her son in their car at night having chicken mcnuggets left over from the day before and all her trouble with edd. >> among them, bonnie hall

that hardship has turned to real hope and michael finney is live with an update. we're so glad to hear, michael. >> i got to tell you, dan, there is so much good news here i hardly know where to start. let me tell you that the edd came through and so did many, many others. >> i just started losing everything one by one. >> i told you about shelby hues. the single mom living a happy life with her 4-year-old boy kalan until the pandemic hit. shelby lost both of her jobs and then the edd cut off her benefits with no explanation. she and her son began living in their car. >> i tried to tell edd, too, i understand that i'm just another claim. i'm just another number, but to me, this is my life. i mean, honestly, i was heart broken. >> across the state, an overwhelming response. >> it brought become a lot of memories when i was a single mom. >> it just broke my heart to see her and her son in their car at night. >> i put myself in her situation and it was just one of those things that you just have to do what you have to do to help another mom. >> shelby told me about f

i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >>> a lot more to come. dozens of homeless san jose residents have somewhere to ride out the pandemic. inside the transitional housing community. >>> the renewed spotlight on social justice issues is changing companies in more ways than one. the tool to make sure their messaging doesn't offend. >>> >>> as the covid-19 pandemic worsens the economy, many are struggling to make ends meet. governor newsom aims to convert hotels, motels and other buildings into housing for the homeless. another solution is finding more ways to build emergency transitional housing, which he was able to check out this afternoon in san jose. abc 7 news chris nguyen has the story. >> reporter: in san jose today, governor gavin newsom got a firsthand look at the area's newest emergency interim housing for the homeless. >> we're not walking away from our commitment not taking our eye off the ball at all and we are weathering the current economic storm and doing more than we've ever done in the history of the state. >> near the intersec

michael finney looks at the cars most likely to bring you happiness.ht now dan is here with a look ahead. >> new at 5:00, the risk of flying home for the holidays, drew just talked about that a little bit. a report looks at the danger of covid-19 as we look at tips to stay safe if you plan to fly. >>> plus, what uber and lyft drivers are telling abc 7 news about whether prop 22 should be approved and stepping up to the plate, a san jose man joins cal fire to help a the pain is always around the corner.o i can'twhat? ve it. that our new house is haunted by casper the friendly ghost? hey jill! hey kurt! movies? i'll get snacks! no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on our car insurance with geico. i got snacks! ohhh, i got popcorn, i got caramel corn, i got kettle corn. am i chewing too loud? believe it! geico could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. raniere. >>> can a car make you happy? consumer reports has a report on which cars leave you most satisfied. >> consumer reports has survey data on more than 420,000

you're going to have to look at apple themselves. >> reporter: i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >>> a riverside family's halloween decorations are so realistic, people have called the fire department. the long family began putting together a pirates of the caribbean themed decor three years ago. the longs added some realistic looking flames and even a smoke machine. neighbors definitely noticed and some called 911. >> we had a hook and ladder here, another big truck here on the side. nationally they thought it was a real fire. they got out of the trucks. then they walked around, gave my husband a high five and said, great job. it looks so good. >> the family says this is all in good fun. they don't want to alarm anyone. >>> nothing alarming in the weather department except a little bit of heat, drew. >> yeah. we're tracking warmer weather on the way. air quality over the next two days, we'll find good air quality along the coast and the south bay. but in the north bay we'll have a little bit of smoke due to the glass fire. so we do have a spare the air day in effect the next two da

i'm michael finney. with the cost of wildfires coming up. >> i'm meteorologist sandy ...we know that when we take care of the earth, the earth also takes care of us. you'd be surprised by our environmentally-friendly way of baking breads. our ingredients are farmed per strict usda organic standards. our bakeries are powered by renewable wind energy. and we support environmental causes through 1% for the planet. oroweat organic bread. great taste that's sustainably baked. and now, introducing our super delicious and nutritious organic kids bread featuring disney's mickey mouse and minnie mouse! >>> exclusive video from the abc7news i-team private firefighters detained by the chp and cal-fire are now under investigation for possibly setting illegal backfires. we've been investigating in napa county and hykaing with cruise extinguishing hot spots in the glass fire. it's a story you'll only see on abc7news. >> these illegal backfires can be dangerous if private contractors don't inform the incident command p

>> michael finney reporting there.ne thing to keep in mind with any connected device on your wi-fi video doorbells can be hacked. consumer reports say one way to protect yourself, set up two-factor authentication. that's a critical security feature they look at in the security tests. >>> it's a big day for patrons of one of san francisco's most renowned art museums. it opened for the first time since it closed in march because of the pandemic. members will be able to tour the museum today and tomorrow and opens to the general public on fiday. visitors will be able to get the first look at a gothic tale that will run through december 6th. >>> the upcoming holidays look very different. how local teachers are getting creative and we are the thrivers. women with metastatic breast cancer,... ...standing in the struggle. hustling through the hurt. asking for science, not sorrys. our time... ...for more time... ...has come. living longer is possible- and proven in women taking kisqali plus fulvestrant or a nonsteroidal aromat

. >> michael finney is here with a look at today's headlines talking about debt. >> yeah, look, a wholend state agencies are getting together to crack down on illegal debt collection. let me explain what is going on here. the consumer financial protection burro, the federal trade commission and state agencies are taking part in operation corrupt collector. already the operation brought cases against companies accused of collecting debts that they have no legal right to collect or that te consumers don't even owe. investigators allege the victims were targeted using robocalls. debt collection generates the post complaints to that agency. >>> a decade's old copyright case between oracle and google has finally been heard by the supreme court. oracle claims that google's android platform used more than 11,000 lines of code that is part of oracle's platform. oracle calls it place risgie rim google says it did what is common practice in the industry. the company's top lawyer says no one has ever claimed copyright over software interfaces. it could be months before we get a court ruling and it

michael finney tells us they range from under 7% to as high as 40%. >> these insurers are asking for doesn't tell the whole story. if you live in a wildfire high risk designated area, you could pay a whole lot more. the notice elaine received from aaa left her stunned. the premium went from $3800 in 2018 to almost $5,000 in 2020. >> i remember looking at it going, you know, wow, what happened here? >> elaine says she's never seen such a huge rate hike not even after the oakland hills fire when her home escaped damage. mike from los gatos has been through such sticker shock before. he's asked to remain anonymous but said his premium lastatsta h went from $1500 to $2100 and received an increase this year. his home sustained significant damage during the lexington fire in 1985 but he says the rate increases after that fire were relatively minor compared to what he's experiencing now. the reason for all these rate hikes shouldn't be a surprise. insurance companies saw a record $25 billion in losses in 2017 and '18 from the california wildfires. michael is with the department of insurance

that's how a san francisco woman felt after a claim with edd went into a black hole. >> michael finney helped her find the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. >> everything started out as well as could be expected. a retailer in union square furloughed, elizabeth sanchez in march when it closed down due to the pandemic. the san francisco woman promptly applied for unemployment benefits. >> it started out okay. i got the paperwork right away that said you'll get this amount. this is your weekly benefit rate. >> reporter: they sent her some paperwork to fill out. she did. but then she didn't hear anything. her benefits, which were supposed to start that month never arrived. she quickly checked her status online. >> it had me as my status was fully employed, disqualified. >> confused, she tried calling edd. her story with calling is unfortunately a familiar one to many of you. then edd sent her another letter informing her her benefits would begin in april. problem solved. oh, so she thought. but may, june, july, august, all went by without any benefits. calling edd became her full

time now for consumer news. >> yeah, 7 on your side's michael finney joining us now with a look at today's headlines, starting with some not so good news on the streaming front. >> that's very true. one of the very best deals, free trial deals consumers have ever received, now no more. netflix says it will no longer offer its 30-day, i should say, free trial. for years the streaming giant offered the free trial to lure in new subscribers. for two years now netflix has been phasing out free trials all around the worrell. it's now simply america's turn. and here's another free trial that has come to an end. mashable is reporting that tesla's week-long return policy is no more. tesla sells cars without franchised dealers and part of that unique process has allowed buyers to return their car after essential days, or i should say before seven days, for any reason whatsoever. mashable says there was no major announcement but the return policy was apparently scrapped last week. the transportation security administration, the tsa, broke the 1 million passengers screened in a day mark this past sun

of fraud have plagued california's unemployment agency during the pandemic. 7 on your side's michael finneylert investigator is getting the credit for uncovering this scheme. >> reporter: eight inmates inside the maguire correctional facility in redwood city face charges of taking part in a scheme to defraud the state out of a quarter million dollars in unemployment benefits. some wre awaiting trial. some were serving time on other charges. they are some of the 21 defendants that include three inmates from three other jails and prisons. >> so one of our inspectors who works in our office was working on another case, an unrelated case, and was listening to some jail calls. >> reporter: that investigator, jordan boyd, had been monitoring calls made from the jail as part of a completely different investigation. sean gallagher, the san mateo county d.a.'s office, says inmates are warned their phone conversations are routinely recorded. the inmates discussed social security numbers and other personal identifiable information being passed to the outside to individuals who applied for unemployment

i'm michael finney. straight ahead, the woman 1: get your woman 2: you can stay healthy and fill it out from the safety of home. surfer: or you can fill it out anywhere. man 1: it's easy to mail it back. you don't even need a stamp. man 2: or you can use an official drop box. woman 3: you can even drop it off at the polls. man 3: then, track it to confirm your county got it. see? they got it! woman 4: mail ballots are the simple, safe, and secure way to ensure that your vote is counted. your shoulder seems to be healing nicely. i'm sorry baby... i don't want you to play with that... (singing) twinkle, twinkle little star. how i wonder what you are... how are you doing? schedule a video visit with your doctor. kaiser permanente. thrive. the unfair money bail system. he, accused of rape. while he, accused of stealing $5. the stanford rapist could afford bail; got out the same day. the senior citizen could not; forced to wait in jail nearly a year. voting yes on prop 25 ends this failed system, replacing it

cases of fraud,'s michael finney explains an alert investigator is getting the credit for uncovering> eight inmates inside the mcguire correctional facility in redwood city face charges of taking part in a scheme to defraud the state out of a quarter million dollars in unemployment benefits. some were awaiting trial. some were serving time on other charges. they are some of the 21 defendants that include three inmates from three jails. >> some of our inspectors who works in our office was working on another case, unrelated case, and was listening to some jail calls. >> reporter: investigator jordan boyd had been monitoring calls made from the jail as part of a completely different investigation. sean gallagher, the san mateo county d.a.'s office, says inmates are warned that their phone conversations are routinely recorded. the inmates discussed social security numbers and other personal identifiable information being passed to the outside to individuals who applied for unemployment benefits on their behalf. >> in order to perpetuate the fraud there has to be a lot of personal identi

michael finney joining us live with more on this story., what a mess. >> it is a total mess, dion. look, for the last couple of weeks, i've been hearing from many who say the edd suddenly cut off their accounts. well, today, i have also heard from an edd employee. and they don't think thaeere's going to be any big changes any time soon. >> yeah, so they put a block on this address zploo i told you about john in san jose. he lost his home at levi stadium when the pandemic hit and was collecting unemployment until this. >> these are all from the edd. >> his family started getting letters from the edd addressed to complete scammers. turns out the scammers were using the family's address to file phony complaints. after his dad filed it to edd, he got a rude surprise. >> i went to pay my cell phone bill and found my card was declined. >> edd blocked ben's account and eight others using his address. those were the scammers he. >> these a lot. >> the same thing happened to linda dodge of san jose. she too was collecting unemployment when scammers

cases of fraud have plagued california's agency during the pandemic. 7 on your side's michael finneyxplains an alert investigator is getting the credit for uncovering the scheme. >> eight inmates inside the mcguire correctional facility in redwood city face charges of taking part in a scheme to defraud the state out of a quarter million dollars in unemployment benefits. some were awaiting trial. some were serving time on other charges. they are some of the 21 defendants that include three inmates from three jails. >> one of our inspectors who works in our office was working on another case, unrelated case, and was listening to some jail calls. >> reporter: investigator jordan boyd had been monitoring calls made from the jail as part of a completely different investigation. sean gallagher, the san mateo county d.a.'s office, says inmates are warned that their phone conversations are routinely recorded. the inmates discussed social security numbers and other personal identifiable information being passed to the outside to individuals who applied for unemployment benefits on their behal

i'm michael finney. 7 on your side is straight ahead. they do one of the most deven in normal times.s, our frontline health care workers. and when these heroes lack the resources they need, that risky job gets ten times harder. prop fifteen makes corporations pay their fair share. to invest in our communities, in our clinics, in the essential workers who treat everyone- rich, poor, and in-between. whether it's this pandemic or the next health crisis, vote yes on prop fifteen. for all of us. traffic and air pollution will be even worse after the pandemic. that's why we support measure rr to keep caltrain running. which is at risk of shutdown because of the crisis. to keep millions of cars off our roads, to reduce air pollution and fight climate change. and measure rr helps essential workers like me get to work and keep our communities healthy. relieve traffic. reduce pollution. rescue caltrain. [all] yes on measure rr. >>> are you ready for next week's big sell. it set for october 13th and 14th. ma michael finney has been checking it out.

i'm michael finney, "7 on your side." >>> a concord girl is singing her way into our hearts.ia is 5 years old, battling a heart condition since she was born. but according to her mom she doesn't let anything stop her. >> it's joy and it's blessing to have her with us and to rejoice every single day that she's with us. >> valeria also has a passion for singing. her wish to perform in front of a big audience and now make a wish is helping with that. here's valeria rehearsing on the tam ron hall ♪ >> so cute. valeria will tape a performance this weekend in the bay area theater, singing "how far i'll go" from the movie moana. >>> a group of musicians in san francisco is providing people with a sound track for friday evenings in hayes valley. the performers that you see belong to the orchestra of the san francisco ballet but because of the pandemic they can't perform inside the war memorial opera house, one musician says the performances, quote, come from their hearts, they'll be back next friday night at 5:30, taking donations at the same time. >>> still to come on abc 7 mornings

it's given me so much more than i've ever had in my entire -- my entire life. >> michael finney, 7 on is that not fantastic? it's a heartbreaking but just in the time that report aired from michael, the gofundme account has gone up about $6,000. it's around $34,000 now. so let's keep it coming. it's on our website, abc7news.com. for more political andedd stori the app on roku, apple tv, and android tv. go to california unemployment crisis section, we have a lot of answers from expert interviews and exclusive success stories all right there for you on demand. >>> as we approach the end of hispanic heritage month, we want to highlight the inspiring story of a latina who's engineering a new path to space for nasa. abc7 news reporter luz peÑa spoke to the mexican native who's also phasing way for more minorities to work at nasa. >> the moon is over 238,000 miles away. but when she was 7 years old, it seemed even farther. >> my mother used to buy books and encyclopedias. they had a picture of a space shuttle and i was so intrigued about it. >> fast forward to 2020 and meet -- >> i work at

i'm michael finney, "7 on your side." >>> a concord girl is singing her way into our hearts. valeria is 5 years old, battling a heart condition since she was born. but according to her mom she doesn't let anything stop her. >> it's joy and it's blessing to have her with us and to rejoice every single day that she's with us. >> valeria also has a passion for singing. her wish to perform in front of a big audience and now make a wish is helping with that. here's valeria rehearsing on the tamron hall show. ♪ i know everybody on this island ♪ ♪ seems so happy on this island ♪ ♪ everything is by design >> valeria will tape a performance this weekend at a bay area theater and she'll be singing as you heard there. "how far i'll go" from the movie "moana." >>> a group of musicians in san francisco is providing people with a sound track for friday evenings in hayes valley. the performers that you see belong to the orchestra of the san francisco ballet but because of the pandemic they can't perform inside the war memorial opera house. so they are playing for free. one musician says the

. >>> i'm michael finney with the guide to amazon prime day. and i live in san francisco, california. sales and sales management professional my whole career. typical day during a work week is i'm working but first always going for a run or going to the gym. i love reading. i love cooking healthy. it's super important to me. i was noticing that i was just having some memory loss. it was really bothering me. so i tried prevagen and it started to work for me. i wish i had taken prevagen five or ten years ago. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. ♪ if i could, baby i'd ♪ how can i, when you won't take it from me ♪ ♪ you can go your own way ♪ ♪ go your own way your wireless. your rules. only with xfinity mobile. >>> after weeks of hype, we are less than six hours away from amazon prime day. the misnamed event starts at midnight tonight and runs for 48 hours. 7 on your side's michael finney has been checking into the upcoming sale and joins us with advice on how to score the best deals. michael, i'm surprised people are still into amazon prime day so much. >> you know, so am i, actually

find out what you need to know to make sure that your ballot un o yrsi's michael finney will join us live. the edd is trying to crack down on fraudulent unemployment claims. but people who are really on out of work are having their benefits cut off as well. it's the first day of school. in person school that is. the north bay could be leading by example when it comes to education in the bay area. that's all coming up in just about a half hour on abc7 news at 6:00. finally for us tonight, the a's started the playoff series against the houston astros at dodger stadium. >> the a's started fast, jumping out to a 3-0 lead behind home runs from chris davis and sean murphy. houston would rally and tie the game up in the fourth inning behind a pair of home runs, the a's responded, took a 5-3 lead in to the sixth inning. and it was all down hill from there. the astros scored 7 unanswered runs. took game one 10-5. >> youfeel like no matter where you are after, you know, we go in the late innings invest a chance to come back. especially after having a good offensive output early on. just couldn

i'm michael finney, "7 on your side." >>> a concord girl is singing her way into our hearts. valeria is 5 years old, battling a heart condition since she was born. but according to her mom she doesn't let anything stop her. >> it's joy and it's blessing to have her with us and to rejoice every single day that she's with us. >> valeria also has a passion for singing. her wish is to perform in front of a big audience and now make a wish is helping with that. here's valeria rehearsing on the tamron hall show. ♪ i know everybody on this island ♪ ♪ seems so happy on this island ♪ ♪ everything is by design >> valeria will tape a performance this weekend at a bay area theater and she'll be singing "how far i'll go" from the movie "moana." break a leg, valeria. >>> a group of musicians in san francisco is providing people with a sound track for friday evenings in hayes valley. the performers that you see belong to the orchestra of the san francisco ballet but because of the pandemic they can't perform inside the war memorial opera house. so here they are playing for free. one musicia

. >>> hi everyone, michael finney here. you are waiting for unemployment or covid-19 payments. asked edd what's going on. why can't our viewers get money? >> number of different things can impact eligibility. >> 7 on your side got your emails about the edd. you deserve better. that's why i promise to keep asking the tough questions and getting answers. stay with us, we'll stay on it. >>> finally tonight, firefighters battling the glass fire are getting some help destressing from two four-legged friends. cal fire tweeted out this video today. look at tails bagging. they met for the first time. two hang out at base camp to support crews returning from battling the glass fire. these two are really helping firefighters cope with the stress. how could they not with those cute faces. >> absolutely. >>> and this, oakland zoo got a generous gift from local fire crew, san leandro donated to be repurposed for slings and hammocks. cat enjoying hammock from recycled fire hose. clever. >> inventive, love seeing the animals relaxing. >>.

however, there is a case of suspected fraud at the edd. 7 on your side's michael finney talks with two by area residents who say they were asked to take part in the crime. >>> trick-or-treat, well, that's off the table. blame it on the coronavirus pandemic. so what can kids do this halloween for fun? all coming up in half an hour on abc 7 news at 6:00. >>> bird enthusiasts are celebrating an epic nonstop distance record, similar to the one you see here, has finished a new worldecord for avian nonstop flight. >> that is a gorgeous bird. it set off from alaska on september 16th and arrived in new zealand flying up to speeds of 55 mil mil an hour. experts say the bird's sleek design give them potential effectively turning them into jet fighters. the bird had been tagged last year. it flew over the pacific ocean for days with no place to land. experts say strong easterly winds helped the bird set that record. >>> dan, maybe it hitched a ride on a boat for a little while, a couple hours. >> maybe. that's a lot of flapping for days on end like that. wow. "world news tonight" is next. what? n

the moment captured on v >>> michael finney mere. i know many of you are waiting for your unemployment or covid-19 payments. so i asked the edd what's going on. why can't our viewers get their money? >> there is a number of different things that could impact someone's eligibility. >> 7 on your side got your emails, hundreds of emails about the edd and you deserve better. that's why i promise to keep asking the tough questions and getting answers. so stay with us and we'll stay on it. >>> as we fight the coronavirus pandemic california is mandating facemasks to stop the spread. abc7 wants to remind you to wear a mask for you, your loved ones, and your community. please, wear because you care. >>> coming up on abc7 news at 6:00, a story of heartbreak and horror. the heartbreak comes from man who lost both his wife and 8-year-old daughter to a wildfire last month. the horror, it looks like pg&e equipment is to blame again. that's new at 6. >>> and remember the story of shelby, that single mom who lost her job, home, and unemployment ben

hear from the people behind them who say their livelihood is now on thin ice. "7 on your side's" michael finney explains how black friday is changing this year, all coming up in half an hour on abc 7 news at 6:00. >>> finally tonight, the hardest working fish in sport was put to work today, thanking south bay residents for voting earlier. >> that's posing for people dropping off their ballots. >> the team sent shar i can out and about hoping to encourage everyone to get out vote. >> people are painting a street mural. the mural will read choose democracy. >> all right. looks need. that will do it for us for now. thank you so much for joining us. "world news tonight with david muir" is up next. >> i'm dan ashby, for sandhya patel, we appreciate your time. make time for us again. we'll see you in half an hour for abc 7 news at 6:00. it provides property tax fairness for disabled homeowners like cynde, stuck living with a broken elevator. nineteen helps wildfire victims, like ellie, one of 24,000 who've lost their homes to fire. and seniors like pam who need to move closer to family or medical car

week and despite what you may have heard, it won't interfere with the election. 7 on your side's michael finney will join us to explain. >>> and when you hear that someone is corporation well, this philanthropist is a 9-year-old girl. all, coming up at 6:00. >> well, finally, tonight, it is all over for the oakland a's. their postseason dreams were crushed by the astros, who won today's game. itse it was three games to one. >> with the a's jumping out on top. blasted this massive homer giving the a's a 3-nothing led but the astros, oakland mounted a literally in the ninth but just wasn't enough. astros win 11-6. >> you have to make good pitches against them. you know it's going to be a battle to the end. we just couldn't do enough, you know, on the pitching end to hold 'em down. >> houston advances to the american league champion series against, either the new york yankees or tampa bay rays but the a's gave it a good try. >> certainly, did. all right. world news tonight with david muir is next. i'm ama traffic and air pollution will be even worse after the pandemic. that's why we support measur

for sandhya patel, michael finney, all of us here, thank you so much for inviting us into your homes tonight. our next newscast is your shoulder seems to be healing nicely. well, dr. farrell, it feels really good... that's good. and... i'm sorry. baby, don't touch that... i don't want you to play with that... (singing) twinkle, twinkle little star. how i wonder what you are... (still singing) up above the world so high... like a diamond in the sky. i'm so glad that your shoulder is feeling better. but, how are you doing? i'm hanging in there... schedule a video visit with your doctor. and get quality care with no copay. kaiser permanente. thrive. >> announcer: the following is a special presentation of espn on abc. >>> it's a beautiful friday night at the espn wide world of sports complex at the walt disney world resort in florida. it's also game two of the nba finals. the lakers, they've already dominated game leader, legislaebron james, wels looking to take a 2-0 lead against a team that's shorthanded but joel berry is confident despite that fact. a.d., a big 34 points in game one.

that mother lost her job, her home and her unemployment benefits living in her car, she turns to michael finney side. >>> these power lines keep our lights on. our refrigerators running and cell phones charged. that's what thousands will have to live without as pg&e starts shutting off the power tonight to prevent wildfires. good evening. i'm ama daetz. >> i'm dan

. >>> i'm dan >>> 7 on your side michael finney takes you inside an edd fraud.'re going to hear from two bay area residents who say they were asked to take part in a cri crime. >> announcer: this is abc 7 news. >>> a new step in the presidential election. san mateo county began opening and processing mail in ballots today but the i-team is reporting duplicate voters sent out. a single voter receiving a second or third ballot. good evening and thank you for joining us. >> one vote there received a second ballot is worried this may be an example of potential problems with the election

. >>> i'm michael finney. do you remember my report on the homeless mom and her 4-year-old child?update and it is spectacular. >>> open up the office, swing by the gym, get together for bowling. it's normal life with an asterisks because this is the year of the pandemic and life is anything but perfect. good evening and thank you for

michael finney is here with a look at the headlines, michael? guys, this is good news to some people in fire zones. the internal revenue service is pushing back several deadlines for those affected by the california wildfires. qualifying taxpayers who previously filed for an extension to file their 2019 taxes now have until january 15th to file. quarterlie lly estimated tax pas due september 15th are now due january 15th. the ex end the[expletiveex ktenr fema designated disaster area. >>> americans' credit scores are going up. consumers are carrying less debt and have fewer credit cards and retail charge cards. average vantage scores, which are the credit scoring that the burroughs use have jumped six points since 2019 and fico scores are up five points to 711. an all-time high. the average balance on credit cards dropped more than $700. >>> happy returns solutions for online shopping returns is joining forces with fedex. happy returns worked with online retailers to allow shoppers to return items in person that they purchased online. they do it

michael finney joins with us a look at the headlines. a lot of extensions right now. >> there sure are. today was originally set to be the last day, the dead line to get your real i.d. from the dmv here in california. but because of the pandemic, that has been changed to this day next year. let me explain. a new federal law requires stricter identity verification a ato board a plane or enter a federal building in california. real i.d. takes care of. . you can upload the document before you visit a field office. >>> the attorney general javier becerra announced am 8.69 million-dollar settlement against the health insurance provider anthem. over failure to protect a patient's personal data including names, addresses, and social security numbers. it affected about 78 million patients across the united states including more than 13.5 million in california. anthem is required to make changes to its information security program. >> a knew court ruling in ireland says the bread in subway sandwiches is not actually bread. a judge ruled this week

. >> yeah, here is 7 on your side's michael finney with a look at the headlines, hi, michael. >> hey, you guys, social security recipients will be getting a raise next year. not a big one but still a raise. in 2021 there will be a 1.3% increase. that amounts to about $20 a month for the average retiree or $33 a month for a couple. critics have said this cost of living increase isn't enough. you just heard the figures. in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and rising costs for things that affect seniors, most obviously health care and it's increasing costs. >>> facebook is expanding the ban on anti vac ads. it prohibited ads that toted vaccine hoaxes. any ad that explicitly discourages users from getting a vaccine will be rejected. facebook says that this is part of a multi pronged effort to help support vaccine efforts whether for the flu or childhood illnesses or the eventually one expected for the covid-19 pandemic. >>> amazon's prime day is underway and this year your prime day purchases will arrive an extra spooky packaging between,and halloween amazon packages will be shipped i

. >> 7 on your side michael finney is here with a look at the headlines today. , michael. >> hey, guys. there is some very good news if you still haven't received your $1200 stimulus check. the government is pushing the deadline back yet again. let me explain what is going on. those who don't file tax returns have to apply for the payment and many still haven't. get this, the courts ruled that prison inmates have a right to the checks so now they need to apply, too. with hundreds of millions of dollars still to be sent out, the deadline has been moved to november 21st. it really easy to apply. go to irs.gov and it's on the front page. >>> ikea seen a huge boost in online sales as many turn their homes into offices and schools. the retailer says online sales grew by 45% over the past year although some of that is coming from new markets like china. overall sales dropped 4% because of pandemic store closings. >>> teenagers, they're also experiencing the financial impact of the pandemic. a new survey finds spending by teens is at an all-time low down 9% from last ye

here is michael finney with a look at how travel has been impacted, michael, and it's been impacted inignificant way. >> travel is actually beginning to come back, at least a little bit. last week we had one day with more than 1 million passengers went through u.s. airports. so, the travel deals are there. people are beginning to travel, should you be one of them? ♪ ♪ >> airlines bleeding money. employees laid off by the thousands. passengers kicked off jets for not wearing masks. >> everybody has a right! >> ireland locks down again. ♪ ♪ >> what a great time to book a trip to the emerald. >> yes. yes. this year has been so rough that i was just like i told my husband, i need to book the flight. i need something to look forward to. >> courtney spent just shy of $1,000 on june flights to dublin for her and her husband. her husband isn't so sure this is a great idea, but courtney has a lot of experts on her side. she booked through scotts cheap flights so let's hear what the scott has to say. >> people enjoy themselves on vacation, but you know where they actually enjoy the vacation more

michael finney joins us with a new way to holiday coverage live. michael?t of nervousness in the retail industry about whether their deliveries can keep up with demand. once we really looked into this, we found they're not the only ones concerned. donna bachmann counts herself among the nervous ones. she says federal express lost five quilts she made last holiday season as gifts. >> i mean, we did everything we could possibly do to track the -- track it down. >> reporter: the lost shipment left many of her friends and family disappointed. thomas webster knows that feeling, too. he says gifts he bought from victoria's secret, walmart and target all arrived to their destinations late. >> it was scheduled to be delivered on december 11th. then they changed it to the 12th, the 14th, the 17th, then the 20th. >> he says on track delivered some of those gifts as late as january. john, a ceo of the national retail federation. >> a lot of retailers are telling your customers now there could be potential delays because of that. that growth in ecommerce and the lack o

>> 7 on your side's michael finney with some tips. arry, chris, look, the problem with flying right now is each airline is handling the pandemic somewhat differently and the policies are changing all the time. however, there are several things you can do for yourself to stay as safe as possible. this past june dani bush boarded an american airlines flight with high hopes that she would fly in a safe and healthy environment. >> they put out the dialogue as if they were being very safe and consid consid considerate for covid, but when you arrive at the airport, none of those things were happening. >> once she began boarding, she was appalled to see crowded boarding areas, passengers without masks and jam-packed flights with middle seats filled. her 20-year-old son has a suppressed immune system so she takes social distancing very seriously. >> i had anxiety the entire flight. >> since dani's flight, american airlines said it has tightened its requirements for face coverings and prohibits anyone over the age of 2 for flying without a mask

. >> michael finney has been following this for months. an alert the investigator is getting for uncovering the scheme. >> you better believe he was alert. the investigator was working on an entirely different case when all of a sudden, he stumbled upon some stunning information. eight inmates inside the mcgwire correctional facility face charges of taking part in a scheme to defraud the state out of a quarter million dollars in unemployment benefits. some were awaiting trial. some were serving time on other charges. they are some of the 21 defendants that include three inmates from three other jails and prisons. >> so one of our inspectors who works in our office was working on another case, unrelated case and was listening to some jail calls. >> reporter: that investigator jordan boyd had been monitoring calls made from the jail as part of a completely different investigation. sean gallagher of the san mateo county d.a.'s office says inmates are warned that their phone conversations are routinely recorded. the inmates discussed social se

michael finney is here with tips to help you clean up. ho hey, michael. >> hey.y are calling them pandemic puppies and a lot of people are getting them to give them comfort at home but they are learning about pandemic pup by hair. so consumer reports have some advice on the vacuum they want to consider. >> delaney and her husband adore the puppy they got at the start of the pandemic but don't love the fur he leaves behind. >> a lot of his fur gets pushed into the corner whether it's from the fan or just us moving around, so we have to be very mindful of kind of catching all the fur. >> if your dog or cat is sharing more than just love, the vacuums doing the best job to get fur off the floor. hw do they do it? testers embed measured amounts of main cat fur in a carpet using a heavy metal roller. >> it's long and thick and has a clinging quality that makes it difficult for test vacuums to pick up. >> each test vacuum is run over the fur until it is gone. the best one to remove it using fewer strokes and the remaining fur that's left in the brush is weighed. >> poor

. >> michael finney is here to say the apple care plan has a nice perk for us. is that right? >> the amount of times an extended warranty got better for consumers, i could probably count it out on one hand. apple is actually done it. if you pay for apple care plus when purchasing an iphone, you get coverage for accidental damage. so for instance, if your screen breaks, rather than pay the entire cost of a repair, you pay $29 and that's a $250 savings if you have an l do it. until now, it allowed accidental coverage twice per phone. now it pays twice per year. apple care plus starts at $149 and includes tech support. >>> grocery store deals are going to make a comeback. they already are. when the pandemic hit, we started hoarding so there is no need to offer deals to get us to buy stuff. then the government started sending out checks again no big sales were needed to get us to buy items in stores because we were already there with government money. well, the pandemic is dragging on and the checks are drying up. now companies like proctor and gamble are again offering deals. loo