tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> as be mentioned eight people were killed in the explosion. shows a was burned alive and three member oz -- members of this family. william, greg and luvon. ktvu's paul chambers got reaction from the community that lost so much. paul. >> this community has been going threw lot. it is a slow process to rebuild. the production equipment is a reminder of -- the construction equipment is a reminder of that. >> in terms of their punishment, you know, almost like it is a matter of dollars. how much will they be fined. what does that mean to me? >> he remembers september 9, 2010. that is the day the community was rocked and changed when the pg&e pipe ruptured, causing a explosion and fire that swept through the neighborhood. it killed eight people, thejured dozens of other -- injured dozens of others and wiped out 38 homes. they spent three years rebuilding but with the reminder like today when it was stated they could face criminal charges it brings some back to that day in 2010 and gives others hope of closure. >> nothing can bring back the lives t

reporting live, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> more details now on the safeway merger. the deal between safeway and albertsons means some changes are in store. but for now what shoppers can expect is more of the same. they consistent of 2400 stores. they employ a quarter million people. they have no plans to close stores but a business experts tells us she does expect layoffs. >>> 19dui convictions and now a repeat offender has been arrested again. police say the 60-year-old -- 68-year-old was arrested today for driving on a suspended license. his 19dui arrests happened over 30 years. police took him into custody during a special dui operation. >>> an update on the old eastern span of the bay bridge. look at the video from news chopper 2. used to be the open deck, it is all gone. they replaced the base of the lower deck with mats to lighten the weight of the bridge as more equipment is brought in. this is in preparation for the separation that is set to begin in the next three or four weeks. >>> bandits go after a historic arth fact and made it into a -- artifact museum

only on 2 ktvu's tom vacar takes us inside the bridge to show us how protection was built into the design many years ago. >> reporter: see this hanging from the eastern span of the bay bridge? it is one of several machines that protect the parts of the interior. that is because engineers are always concerned about water collecting and corroding. today we went inside the decks, and well into the causeway. in chambers dehumidifies protecting structures and equipment. in here the heart and soul of the bridge, the 17,000 strands that make up the cable, they are anything but exposed -- >> we have taken measures to have dehumidifiers, 5 of them, in different locations to keep the humidity down. grabs the moisture and blows it outside. >> reporter: minimizing moisture and low humidity is an excellent way to prevent corrosion, that is why airliners are stored in the desert and why this bridge at dehumidifiers. they have censors that reports to the monitoring system. >> as long as we keep it below 45 there should be zero corrosion. >> reporter: outside that chamber this wall of bolts hold the able

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the knar is asking the -- the national restaurant association is asking to block large capacity gun mag -- gun magazines capable of holding more than 10 bullets. the national restaurant association challenged the law but a -- >>> lawmakers introduced five bills aimed at tackeral the truancy problem. -- tackling the trucancy problem. it costs $1.4 billion in student reimbursements from the states. >> those students when they start falling behind, the rest of the class moved on, they are discouraged and sets opsituation where they are like 3 -- up a situation where they are more likely todrop out of school -- to drop out of school. >>> more than a dozen aftershocks recorded since yesterday's 6.8 earthquake. they down graded from 6.9 to 6.8 this afternoon, it was 50 miles west of eureka but felt across the bay area. and it is known to have mega quakes and snobbies every 3 -- tsunamis every 300 years. >> it could be now. it could be not for a while. in the mean time good sized earthquakes are going to continue happening. >> the spot is where three plat

ktvu's tom vacar looks at the unanswered questions. >> reporter: safeway is building a new store here on college avenue. he says merger or not it would be what the community specified. >> this project is so far under way that you would have to be crazy to do anything other than let it go to completion. >> they have contracts. they are already underway. it would be too costly to stop at a point. >> what about another planned replacement? >> it got all of city approvals. >> reporter: but doesn't have building permits. >> depends on where they are in terms of the state of the contracts. they will reevaluate it. see if that you want to develop it to the extent they were planning. >> reporter: safeway said we are continuing with our plans. we have not suspended remodel or expansion products. >> they are examining every project. >> the buy out is not a done deal for another two weeks. >> this is a legal maneuver they do to prevent lawsuit by saying we took the first deal so we want to make sure we get the best deal. >> if they go to another, albertsons would be paid $150 million for their t

ktvu's tom vacar joins us now, live in the news room where he  is pouring through the paper work. >> reporter: it is plenty of paper work. thousands of items. >> reporter: the bridge that was open labor day meets all requirements but it is not done. punch lists is 8 different lists, 147 pages, details thousands of things still needing work. there are a multitude of modifications, corrections and repairs needed before the contractor can walk away. lists were created by engineers who crawl all over the structure making it a work in progress instead of a final list. many of the items are cosmetic issues like removing rust and repainting, retightening ult bolts -- bolts, installations of washers, replacing temporary bolts with permanent ones were accomplished long ago. most show what list still need attention. i will pour over this all night and tomorrow to see if there are any surprises or major problems. >> reporter: and if you want to see that list we are posting it to www.ktvu.com. tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> here is what happens next, the list, an executive summary will be pr

tom vacar went under the bridge today for a peak at what can soon be known as the big gap. >> reporter: back in 1936 just before main construction on the bridge was completed, the twin peaked cantelever section had a section that seemed to defie gravity. soon the last connector will fill the torch and the gap will reappear. >> that last cut when somebody will go these things, they are no longer touching. that cut will be about a 10 minute cut. >> reporter: you would think that when they cut that center section out but the 700 feet of remaining bridge would want to fall in the water but it won't. primarily because it was designed like two diving boards hooked together at the center. since months of demolition time was lost because caltrans spent so much time on the s curve. since time really is money, caltrans says that will speed up the rest of the demolition forever saving money by preventing inflation to prevent costs down the road, tom vacar. >>> the navy has agreed to test every single home on treasure island for contamination. the navy insists the island is safe. but the navy dug

ktvu's tom vacar got a look at how they are using technology to make sure the price on the shelf always the price at the register. >> reporter: raising a lot of trust issues. >> higher price. i try get my rebate. >> if you don't catch them they get the extra money. sale not a sales. >> reporter: pricing errors are 2%, but some changes are higher. major changes could make 10,000 price change as week, done manually by clerks. they have a solution, popular over seas but just beginning to catch on in the u.s. >> we wanted to bring the internet down the aisle to every object. >> reporter: they have a system that displays exactly what the cash register will ring up when you check out. >> if you show $2.99 on the shelf it will be guaranteed to be what is wrung up -- rung up. >> reporter: it also allows price matching, sales and displays of special information. >> some things we leapfrog we lead the world, some others we live in the dark ages. >> the system pays for itself in three years but so far kohls is the only u.s. retailer using it. tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> san jose mayor conf

ktvu's tom vacar has more. >> the beauty and the majesty of the bridge is obvious from had it outside. but its ability to resist the biggest earthquakes arrest deep down inside so come along. >> reporter: we took a boat out to the bottom of the tower, and then a climb to a hatchway leading to the inside of the structure. again, we saw the welded seems. as expected engineers found cracks. this is part of the 600 feet of welds they fixed. some of them did about need to be weld, some are on the boarder line and they fixed them any how. this should last for 150 years. >> the welds are good. they passed all the inspections. we are satisfied. >> the interior is sapped down to -- sanded down to metal. >> we will put a system in the base to protect it. >> the welds are here to deal with an earthquake expected once in 1500 years. [ indiscernible ] >> reporter: the last two major jobs -- >> protect from shift impact. >> reporter: then the elevator. >> should be here in a month and then that will give maintenance access. >> reporter: one other job, installation of lights on the base of the tower

reporting live, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> more details now on how to find leaks in your home. officials say the first thing to do is shut off your water and then check your water meter. if the meter is moving it likely means you have a leak. officials also say the most common leaks are in faucets or toilets that can be checked by using die tablets. >>> learning more about a sexting scandal involving a dozen students at four schools and why investigators are trying obtain search warrants. >> collision course at the dmv. a woman trying to get her license crashes into a motorcycle and hits the building. >> you look around for what happens in traffic, but you don't expect at the dmv. >> the reason the driver was upset afterwards. >> the shot somewhatter system is a pricy way to tell police a gun has gone off, the value the police chief says is worth the cost. >>> ktvu channel 2 news starts right now with breaking news. >> that breaking news comes from castro valley, police and deputies are investigating the discovery of a body inside a home. news chopper 2 over head right now. yo

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> it is st. patrick's day and law enforcement is out in force to make sure drunk drivers don't get behind wheels, the tactics they are using in stead of check points. >> law makers are winning the fight against sex trafficking. the strategy being credited with curving the problem. the great american novel. so you can happily let life get in the way, while planning for tomorrow. so you can finish the great american novel banking for the life you have investing for the life you want chase. so you can [ man ] it's big. quickly reconnects families. same with aladdin. the biggest in bail. no one has lower prices, is faster or more professional. aladdin bail bonds. bigger because we're better. >>> jackie speier praised a protocol developed by law enforcement officials to fight human trafficking. the protocol led to training for police and airlines and hotel employees in how to spot -- to spot women and children forced into the sex trade. >> an effort for which i can not say enough about the leadership

more at 6:00 p.m., tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> the time line of events began with the explosion and fire in 2010. in 2011 pg&e was blamed for multiple failures, pg&e also unveiled a plan to modernize their system. 2012 pg&e paid $70 million to the city of san bruno. pg&e also settled most lawsuits against it and a massive $2.5 billion penalty that includes a $300 million fine. >>> our team coverage continues with ktvu channel 2 news paul chambers in san bernardino, she live -- in san bruno, he is live with reaction. >> reporter: it has been rocking the community for three years. if the indictment is true it is a step in the right direction. a look at video. you may respect september 2010 when a -- remember september 2010 when a pipeline failed which caused an explosion. since then people in the area have been spending three years rebuilding and trying trying to move forward. today some say it could bring closure to the community. >> nothing can bring back the lives that were lost. the -- the -- the ruin that occurred. if pg&e is -- is -- if the u.s. attorney determines criminal

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> our coverage continues online to www.ktvu.com. raw video of the 2010 fire. >>> gas prices are on the rise in the bay area. it says the average price for a gallon enoakland is $3 going -- in oakland is $3.95. san jose $3.97. san francisco $4.04. apogean cents a gal -- up 15 cents a gallon. >>> the government closed the investigation into tesla after they agreed to install protective shields. they will prevent debris from damaging batteries and possibly causing fires. last year two tesla cars caught on fire after debris damaged the batteries. >>> the federal trade commission announced a settlement with two companies. fandango and credit karma failed to use a security mechanism that protects information. the agency says that is despite the promise they made to customers their perm information was -- personal information was secure while using the app. >>> getting married, good for your health? the benefits. >> it mystifies me. on every level. why this was done. >> governor chris christie taking questions. the announcement he made dur

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> the job cuts will save $200 million over the next year and a half.spent a lot of money to name the new 49ers stadium. we checked the numbers, the sponsorship is costing $220 million over eleven years. >>> now at 6:00 p.m. bribery, corruption and dealing guns, the list of federal crimes california state senator leland yee is accused of committing. >> a former gang member and convicted criminal, the alliances leland yee formed. and agents raided leland yee office and carted away boxes of evidence, the led line he has been given to resign. >> complete bay area news coverage starts right now, this is ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00 p.m. >>> california state senator leland yee handcuffed and brought before a federal judge on corruption charges. tonight we are learning more about the federal raids on leland yee's sacramento office and a half dozen locations in the bay area. >>> i am julie haener. >> and i am frank somerville. >> fbi agents stormed homes and businesses all over the bay area today including several houses in san francisco, a steel company, a hom

tom vacar explains why 26% of americans have less than $1,000 put away.a helped pass out produce today. >> right now i'm a volunteer. usually i'm standing in line with the rest of the folks and trying to get some help here. >> reporter: there will be no retirement in her future. >> no there should be no way. i mean it's just, it's pretty impossible nowadays. >> reporter: i tried, i tried to save and it didn't work out. >> i just went broke and couldn't guy anything so i came to the food bank. >> reporter: the benefit resource says 26% of working age americans have less than $1,000 in savings or investments for retirement. 60% of us have less than $25,000. >> $25,000, we all know is not going to be enough money. >> reporter: financial planner holly jillian serves wealthy clients but volunteers time to help those struggling to save. >> most people are human. and one reason they don't start is because they are afraid and they don't know what the next step should be. >> reporter: many people simply make too little money to save and make ends meet. many others

tom vacar sat down with one of the leaders of the new project. >> reporter: yes, i did. chevron may pull it off this time, but they're absolutely going to have to be polite, open and most importantly honest. this is only about half of chevron's latest modernization plan environmental impact report. >> the project allows us to refine crude oils with higher sulfur, but other than that it does not change the basic function or capacity of the amount of crude that we're able to process here. >> reporter: it will nobody slam dunk for chevron. sulfur corrosion caused the fire that sent thousands of people to the hospital 19 months ago. >> in this case the community has won the right to have an informed review of this project before we let it go forward. >> it's been a much more open and transparent project. >> reporter: bill lindsey is richmond's city manager, a city that needs the jobs. >> the message we hear from labor and labor is delivering is they want jobs in an environmentally responsible way. >> reporter: but this downsize project exists only because the community sued

tom vacar is on that tour and sent us this iphone video. as part of the first phase, crews have been begun cutting and splitting the midspan. caltrans has decided to spend money to speed up the span. they expect the entire demolition to take three years. >>> california dmv customers being washed about a potential -- warned about a potential security breach. who the dmv says may be at risk. >>> the warm weather, wrapping up today. wet weather is on the way. rosemary will tell you when you will need the umbrella and how much rain to expect. >>> and recognizing world tuberculosis day. the bay area county that claims to have one of the highest rates in the country and what it plans to do about it. >>> if you used your credit card at the department of motor vehicles recently, you may want to double check your account. the dmv is warning mers about a po -- warning customers about a potential breach of security. janine de la vega has more. >> reporter: it was a busy morning at the dmv, people trying to renew their driver's licenses or registration

while ktvu's tom vacar was getting a tour of the leaks on the bay bridge, caltrans engineers showed him a critical piece that keeps the bridge strong. >> deep insided new eastern span of the bay bridge we couldn't help but notice what initially appeared to be huge thick pipes. they are pipes but carry no liquids according to bill casey they're state of the art earthquake devices that give the bridge much of its capability to resist the largest earthquake expected in 1500 years. >> this keeps it together and it's a hinge piping and the two sides, this is 60 feet long. there's 30 feet inside one bridge and 30 feet inside the other bridge. >> between the steel supper structure and the concrete causeway, the exposed and removable middle parts of these pipes are deliberately designed to crumble protecting other parts of the bridge that may be hard or impossible to replace. >> earthquake all the damage we take in here that we can replace this little piece in the middle and put the bridge right back in service. >> through these pipes many critical cables carrying electricity, communications an

reporting live, tom vacar. >>> while tom was at the bridge today he also saw something else. it's a huge cover being put over the two main piers holding up the cantelever section. it's there to keep birds from going inside. >>> 16 people accused of crimes ranging from murder to robbery. police say they committed those crimes all over the bay area from san francisco to menlo park. now they are behind bars after more than a year of work by police. san mateo county authorities say they dismantled three street gangs after arresting their ring leader in what they're calling operation sunny day. we're live outside the san mateo county courthouse with information of some of the crimes they're accused of. >> reporter: the case against these accused gang members are spelled out in three inindictments. one of them the longest one is 35 pages long. i have it here in my hand. it took a grand jury more than two months to review this case making it the longest grand jury in san m ateo county history. prosecutors at the district attorney say this drive by shooting that happened in september

tomtom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> tom reported on the leaks last month. experts told him how water could lead to long term corrosion. two weeks later, experts said the leaks were not unusual or unmanagal and monday -- manageable, and monday, the so- called punch lists of thousands of items that still have to be finished. the lead light -- the l.e.d. light show will be off for 10 minutes tonight. they are trying to raise money to keep the lights on for 10 years. >>> thousands of dollars worth of computer equipment stolen from school. students arrived this morning to find out the lab was broken into. it happened around 2:00 a.m. this morning. thieves broke a window and made off with $35,000 worth of electronics. >> when you take things from a school like this you are taking the heart of our student's work and their effort and their love. even more, you are taking their safety away from them. >> three years ago volunteers raised enough money to purchase the computers and much of the school work on on the computers. they are trying to replace the stolen items

tom vacar, ktvu news. >>> more details on the $9 million safeway merger. deal between safe way and the owner of albertson means that that now makes 2,400 stores. the capital does not have any plans to close stores but a business expert says she expects lay offs to avoid duplicating jobs. >>> as you can see from these pictures in news chopper 2, much of the upper deck has been removed. caltrans says it has replaced much of the heavy concrete and steel base of the lower base to lighten the weight of the bridge. this is in preparation for the mid-span separation that is set to begin in the next three to four weeks. >> only on 2, cameras painted pink in protest. who's behind these attacks and the flashy statement they're trying to make. >> i'm tracking changes that will impact your weekends but it's time to get ou >>> we have new developments on that breaking news now out of san leandro. >> we go to patti lee, where we learned that a missing 10-year- old has been found, patti. >> reporter: while we were getting an update on this missing boy from san leandro po

ktvu's tom vacar looks at the safety record. >>> new developments in a shooting that left a san francisco police officer injured. san francisco police officers say they are missing the bullet that hit officer adam shaw. ktvu's david stevenson has the latest on the investigation and the suspect's pasts. david? >> reporter: the police say the bullet is key to the case and as they search for it we learned a lot about the suspect in the case. >> reporter: more surgery was scheduled today for san francisco police officer adam shaw. the 28-year-old suffered a wound to his shoulder saturday. in a confrontation involving a driver stopped in the mission district. >> young, strong guy. and he should make a full recovery. >> reporter: investigators are trying to get a full picture of what happened. >> three quick shots and a pause and two or three more shots followed. >> reporter: neighbors described hearing the shots but police haven't found bullet. investigators say the suspect jeffery ruano was arrested in san jose sunday with 38 caliber rounds but no gun. >> that doesn't mean it is impossible th

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> researchers found those diagnosed with childhood leukemia were moree near a busy road. air quality officials in the bay area will now be able to better gauge traffic related air pollution thanks to three new air monitors. the first is already fully operational in oakland at laney college. data collected from the monitor is being streamed to their website. >>> artists today gave a peak inside san francisco's coit tower where work continues to make sure the murals survive. the murals were created during the -- coit tower is said to reopen sometime next month. >>> two fractured wrists. i definitely have a concussion and a black eye. >>> the response to a rowdy protest that brought more demonstrators out today. >>> you saw the pictures. the fire on the first day of spring. i'll detail the dry weather pattern and how long it'll be before we can see some >>> san francisco international airport is getting ready to shut -- shuttown two -- shutdown two of its four runways. the airport will be installing soft concrete at the ends which will grab the landing gea

tom vacar, ktvu news. >>> more details on the $9 million safeway merger. deal between safe way and the owner of albertson means that that now makes 2,400 stores. the capital does not have any plans to close stores but a business expert says she expects lay offs to avoid duplicating jobs. >>> as you can see from these pictures in news chopper 2, much of the upper deck has been removed. caltrans says it has replaced much of the heavy concrete and steel base of the lower base to lighten the weight of the bridge. this is in preparation for the mid-span separation that is set to begin in the next three to four weeks. >> only on 2, cameras painted pink in protest. who's behind these attacks and the flashy statement they're trying to make. >> i'm tracking changes that will impact your weekends but it's time to get outside before the clouds move in perhaps some sprinkles. >> a high rise waterfall, trouble that caused this unusual sight in the middle of the city. >>> we have new developments on that breaking news now out of san leandro. >> we go to patti lee, where

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> researchers found those diagnosed with childhood leukemia were more live near a busy road. air quality officials in the bay area will now be able to better gauge traffic related air pollution thanks to three new air monitors. the first is already fully operational in oakland at laney college. data collected from the monitor is being streamed to their website. >>> artists today gave a peak inside san francisco's coit tower where work continues to make sure the murals survive. the murals were created during the -- coit tower is said to reopen sometime next month. >>> two fractured wrists. i definitely have a concussion and a black eye. >>> the response to a rowdy protest that brought more demonstrators out today. >>> you saw the pictures. the fire on the first day of spring. i'll detail the dry weather pattern and how long it'll be before we can see some showers. >>> at $400,000 worth of wine stolen. how one suspected thief's generosity ended up getting him arrested. bulldog: look at that! $300 off serta perfect sleeper and sealy posturepedic. plus, fre