i'm terry mcsweeney live in hercules. five people dead, a cache of explosives found in a house in vallejo. three bay area cities affected by all this and did it all begin with a loving relationship? that's what police are looking into. we'll have the story. >> an east bay teacher is arrested at school after police discovered child pornography at his home. >> good morning. a clear start, a beautiful start to the day but another spare the air day with hot temperatures inland with cooling at our coast. >> and we are following an injury crash in concord. it's westbound highway 4. all those details coming up in your complete traffic report. >> it is 6 a.m. on this thursday morning. thank you so much for joining us. i'm eric thomas. kristen is off today. police think they may have zeroed in on a motive on a three-city killing spree that claimed at least four lives and the prime suspect in the case was killed himself tuesday night in the a shoot without with

police. officers are also still looking for another potential victim. terry mcsweeney is live in hercules. and, terry, when you add in explosives to this mixture, you have quite a tangle. >> yeah, you really do. police are trying to figure out how it all fits together. they think they've got a motive for two of the killings but as far as the bodies in vallejo and the explosives, that investigation is wide open. take a look at the two people at the heart of the matter. 38-year-old valdamro, 46-year-old cindy tran. police say she had dumped him a few weeks ago and police say tuesday night he strangled her during a high-speed chase. she says she was on the phone at the time before she was strangled saying she had been kidnapped. she was killed there. they were chasing them because what they believe he did at a house in hercules owned by tran where the suspect stayed

sometimes. that's where police were on saturday and they found the body of 73-year-old ricardo salas, his 35-year-old son frederick missing. valdamro's family is saying that he suspected, the suspect suspected the salas's of having an affair with tran. police are learning more about the suspect. >> he isn't someone you can describe as 8 to 5 working lifestyle person. he's someone who had relationships with people and generally borrowed money and availed himself to the use of their vehicles and things like that. >> we always knew there was something about him. but, you know, she loved him so we loved him. >> the search for salas continues. police have very little hope of finding him alive but none of that would explain valdamro's connection to those two other bodies found tuesday in vallejo and the explosive materials they found in that house or the arrest they made of the person living at that house.

eric thomas has more on that. live in hercules, terry mcsweeney, abc 7 news. >> terry, thank you very much. as terry mentioned, today an autopsy will be performed on the bodies of those two women found murdered in the vallejo home. investigators are trying to figure out how valdamro is tied to the deaths. police say the victims are two friends, 63-year-old rita allen and 60-year-old carol smart. neighbors say for the past decade valdamro lived off and on at the vallejo home where the two were found. adding to this confusion, allen's husband, 72-year-old charles rittenhouse lived in the house after reporting his wife missing sunday. a cache of highly explosive materials in the home including c-4 and dynamite. they're trying to determine if he played any role in the women's death. a bay area teacher arrested at school on child pornography

charges. contra costa county investigators picked up alex birsch in pittsburgh after raiding his house in antioch. they confiscated computers containing thousands of images. he's also a coach for the pleasant hill golf and swim team. a new warning for anyone who might have helped the gang member accused of shooting a fremont police officer. andrew barrientos is charged with attempted murder in last week's shooting of officer todd young in oakland. police think the 20-year-old barrientos had a lot of help in trying to escape after the shooting. >> anyone who came in contact with barrientos, we are charging them with a crime. anyone who assisted him, anyone who housed him, anyone who tried to take care of him, we will prosecute them to the fullest and i want to make sure that message gets out pretty loud and clear. >> someone accused of trying to

get him across the board is now an accessory to attempted murder of officer young. >> officer young continues to slowly recover in an east bay hospital. he's serious but stable condition and expected to face more surgery this week. oakland's chief police is disputing claims by the police officer's union the city has become manager dangerous since the city laid off 80 officers in july. last week the oakland police officers association said crime jumped 8.5% since the layoffs but the chief says the layoffs are not to blame. he says the city usually experiences a spike in crime during the summer and noted that violent crime is actually down in the city. bats also says the city may be getting help from state and federal law enforcement as a result of a crime summit held last week. san francisco muni operators trying to block plans for service cuts returning this weekend. the board of supervisors recently voted to restore more than half of recent cuts but the

transport workers union claims muni did not properly meet with drivers about changes that include bringing back more late night runs. the union has now asked a state board to impose an injunction that would stop muni from restoring the service this weekend. 6:06. this is spare the air day. lisa argen in more mike. >> starting out quite mild downtown but cooler air is at our coast. it's 50 half moon bay, 57 novato. 58 san francisco, 68 oakland. a nice mild start across the bay but you know what that means. we're on our way to a very warm day around the bay. hot temperatures return inland and the cooling trend begins at our coast. yesterday we weren't as warm. so we're starting out warmer but our winds have shifted. we don't have a strong northerly wind and the westerly wind will pick up throughout the afternoon. usual not going to feel it around bay and our inland valleys. that's why another hot day but

at our coast we begin to cool and then the cooling trend for the holiday weekend. so hot through southern california. we'll look at this ridge of high pressure to move eastward and weaken and then a trough. you know the routine from the summertime where we've had cool regimes all summer long. it happens again over the weekend. temperatures climbing through the 80s throughout the noon hour and then 70s at our beaches, the triple digit heat inland just for one more day. megan's got an update on an east bay crash. good morning. >> we have much better news if you're commuting westbound highway 4 to the concord area. the earlier injury crash has been cleared. all lanes open and speeds moving at the limit through that area. outside for a live look at the commute in walnut creek. 680. taillights southbound. a nice flow of traffic through the san ramon valley. the east shore freeway interstate 80, headlights moving westbound. this is through the berkeley area and the drive time from the

carquinez bridge to the maze is 20 minutes. once you reach the bay bridge toll plaza, no delays into san francisco. >> coming up on 6:08. just ahead, the controversial decision expected tonight that could have san carlos police changing their uniforms. also the housing health crisis. the new research showing foreclosures may be affecting our health as much as it's affecting the economy. and gubernatorial hopeful meg whitman could go from the whitman could go from the campaign trail to the

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good morning, everyone. it is 6:11 on the morning news. live in east bay towards san francisco.

the bay bridge in the foregrounds. look at the sky. you see it's perfectly clear and that means for those inland today, hotter temperatures. it's a spare the air day as well. what about along the coast. lisa argen is in for mike this morning. she's keeping an eye on things and she'll tell us in a couple minutes. a new study shows losing a home to foreclosure can be hazardous to your health. the survey was conducted by the alameda county health department and the housing rights group just cause. the survey found residents going through foreclosure were more than twice as likely to say their mental and physical health had worsened over the past two years. 30% also said they skipped medical care to save money. tonight the san carlos city council will vote on a proposal to outsource its police department to the san mateo county sheriff's office. the city is trying to balance a $3.5 million deficit. it guarantees all full-time employees would be hired by the

sheriff's department with most officers having equal rank at the county level. they will receive a 5 to 10% pay raise. if approved the proposal will head to the supervisor. meg whitman will find out today if she has to take a month off the campaign trail. whitman has to report to redwood city for possible jury duty. if the resident is chosen for the jury, she will hear the case of a 44-year-old man accused of molesting three boys, including a nine-year-old that he was trying to adopt. the trial is expected to take a month. 6:13 now. we mentioned that spare the air day here which is something we're used to, hurricane earl on the east coast, not something they're all that happy about. >> no. in fact getting ready to slam the eastern seaboard, the outer banks of north carolina tonight. so we'll take a look at that in just a moment. but our own weather, boy, it's hot out there with sunshine

already. the view from mount tam looks beautiful and quick, get all that cool air in, keep is comin' for another hour or two and then you know the routine, shut the windows because it is going to be a warm one, although we're looking at cooling starting today at our coast that will spread across the bay. it is 67 in san francisco. 64 in oakland. look at the 50s. napa and fairfield with 61 sunnyvale. another warm day with cooling confined to the coast. it's not going to spread across the bay until tomorrow. so today look for more 80s around oakland. already 9 degrees warmer than we were yesterday at this hour in san francisco and warmer in sunnyvale and san jose. but our winds shifted. not as strong out of the north. that induces quick warming and we see more of a westerly component. that's why we're coming down a couple degrees today at our coast but another hot day inland. no changes there. cooling trend getting underway for the holiday weekend.

so . earl has strengthened so it's a strong hurricane wind with 145 mph. continue to weaken today, taking a turn to the north and east moving into slightly cooler waters. but right around the outer banks of north carolina, we're looking at 6 inches of rain and a storm surge of maybe 3 to 5 feet and, in fact, cape cod looking at some very heavy rain and very high winds here right through the late evening hours up into nova scotia where it continues to weaken so probably a category 4 when it impacts north carolina late tonight. back home temperatures almost as warm today. 95 campbell. look for 90 in sunnyvale. peninsula numbers, 90 redwood city but a nice day san mateo. on the warm side, 88 for you. beautiful pacifica, san francisco out of the 80s today. 78 for you. so beautiful. head outside to enjoy your lunch

today. 90 petaluma. pretty warm here once again with no big changes, although cooling from bodega bay to stinson beach. oakland 85. 89 union city but as you head inland and we're close to 100 degrees again today from antioch to brentwood, 96 danville. we have fog now. so it will be a comfortable 75 in monterey. a little cooling at our coast. we cool around the bay tomorrow and the cooling trend continues through labor day. good morning, megan. >> good morning. no need to rush getting ready to leave the house. should have a nice commute. no problem spots. the south bay, san jose, 280 at the 17 overcrossing. headlights moving north. no problems through the downtown san jose area. also in san jose, a live look at 101 at the 880 overcrossing. a nice ride all the way up the peninsula. commuting through the north bay this morning, let's get a live look.

101 heading through san rafael. taillights moving southbound. the drive time from 37 to 580 is about ten minutes. on the san mateo bridge, traffic moving nicely here in both directions. these headlights are moving eastbound into hayward. now, as lisa said today is a spare the air day. you are encouraged to make mass transit. everything running on schedule so far. ace, bart, ferries all reporting no delays. for the latest check our we can site, abc7news.com. click on the traffic link right there under abc 7 extras. eric. >> thank you, megan. 6:17 now. from a famed north bay art festival to a swan song for a legendary broadway show, don sanchez has it all in this week's what's hot. >> the 58th edition of the sausalito art festival is here. quality art, fine food and entertainment including jefferson starship, pablo cruz.

three days in sausalito. cal shakes presents the new production of macbeth in california shakespeare theaters. ♪. >> theater works presents a saga of love under a tuscan sun. in the award winning light in the piazza, center of performing arts. art and wine festival is a mardi gras style festival. fun for kids in downtown millbrae. on monday marin city's 13th annual blues, jazz and soul party features great music with performing stars of marin. they change young people's lives. peter pan is flying away. last chance to see it at the big tent on embarcadero park across from the ferry building. ♪ >> and the last weekend for the unforgettable wicked.

a fantastic show at the morph yum theater. next week catch west coast cool with cheryl of the manhattan transfer. don sanchez, abc 7 news. >> it is 6:19 now. coming up a lonely man said he needed hot chocolate and a hug so he called for help. but that call got him arrested. we'll tell you why. also the story behind this scary moment at the u.s. open yesterday. abababababababababab how would i make school a beer place?

field trips to the zoo! more basketballs. soccer balls. and a museum! [ growls ] more basketballs. soccer balls! more books. yeah. like just a ton of books. [ girl ] and boo about soft this. soft and slimy. [ female announcer ] now clip double box tops for education. from totino's pizza rolls and party pizzas. and make their school a better place. south of laredo, so hot, rattlesnakes combust. ♪ but we go, cause ya gotta eat bold. [ male announcer ] subway fiery footlong subs. the bold-acious new turkey jalapeño melt and buffalo chicken. subway. eat bold! in tech bytes, apple reveals new products for music. took the wraps off several new

i-pods. it allows users to rent movies starting at $3.99 and tv shows from abc and fox for just 99 cents and streams movies from netflixes. but not everyone is convinced that apple has come up with another game changer. >> if apple wants to enter the living room, they have to offer more than just streaming downloads of programs and movies and offer people more access to the full internet and web. >> apple also overhauled its i-pod lineup and features an i-pod touch with two cameras like the i-phone and a smaller nano with a touch screen. it is now offering abc and fox shows to own, not just rent, for 99 cents each. those are your tech bytes. >> 6:23 now. a homeless man in portland, oregon, is getting a lesson on what constitutes an emergency.

he called 9-1-1 from his cellphone and told the dispatcher he was the sheriff of washington county, was sitting in a hot tub and needed someone to bring him towels, hot chocolate and a hug. he later admitted he was not the sheriff. police came out to the home but they didn't bring hot chocolate, neither did they bring a hug. they did bring handcuffs. he's now facing charges of trespassing and improper use of 9-1-1. there will likely be suspensions and fines for several players after a bench clearing brawl during last night's marlins/nationals game. grazed him before marlin's first base man closelined the leadoff man. a melee ensued with both teams piling on. four players were ejected. bad blood between the teams

after they injured the manager lynn's catcher. his team trailing by 11 runs. a no-no in baseball. more sports. meantime gary mullin of the u.s. open receded 30 minutes into her match. she was carted off the court and taken to a local hospital. she was diagnosed with a mild concussion that she suffered to a fall in practice prior to the match. frightening moment there. still ahead at 6:30. the report coming today that could determine the future of pg&e's controversial smart meters. and verbal sparks fly. what may be the only debate between the two california candidates for the u.s. senate. >> i'm terry mcsweeney live in hercules, one of three bay area cities dealing with murders tied to the same man. but how are they tied and how is he tied to explosives down in

vallejo yesterday. >> official sunrise at 6:41. the coast is clear for now but a steady increase in the onshore flow bringing the fog and dropping temperatures at our coast today. 78 san francisco but still warm around the bay. hot inland. a look at your holiday and labor day forecast is still ahead. >> and no delays yet at the [ female announcer ] it's the jcpenney labor day mattress sale! all gold premium mattresses 50-60% off after $200 instant rebate. plus, get an additional $100 off beautyrest gold mattresses and $200 off beautyrest world class gold mattresses from simmons... featuring super pocketed coil springs to prevent motion disturbance and conform to your shape. after all, it's not just sleep, it's beautyrest. the jcpenney labor day mattress sale. new look. new day. who knew! jcpenney.

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of the new york stock exchange as well as the nasdaq. when's the opening bell -- and there it is. so the trading day officially on the way. traders use a small dip in weekly unemployment claims to try to build a big rally that started yesterday. the labor department says new claims for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week but still remain well above levels that are considered a sign of a healthy economy. we'll see how wall street is reacting in a live report from the new york stock exchange in about 15 minutes or so. top local story, autopsies are scheduled today for victims of a three-city killing spree. at least four people are dead, another is missing and the main suspect was killed in a shoot-out with the chp. abc 7's terry mcsweeney is live in hercules where it all began. >> police are saying pretty much they are looking for a body, a former housemate of the suspect. as for what kicked off this

entire chain of events, take a look at apicture that can't explain it according to police. a love relationship gone bad. police believe she broke off their relationship some weeks ago and he flipped out. he was shot and killed by officers tuesday night after a high-speed chase across four counties. she was found strangled in his car. he kidnapped her earlier in the day. you gotta go back to saturday at a house in hercules owned by tran where valdamro lived on and off. it's where police arrived saturday to find the body of 73-year-old ricardo salas, his 35-year-old son frederick missing and he is still missing. valdamro suspecteded one of these two was dating tran and he couldn't handle it. >> whether that's actually founded or not, it does not appear in our investigation but that's seemings to be the issue. >> being an acquaintance does not bode well for having a long

life. >> well, today hercules police will resume their search for frederick salas. again, it's pretty much a search for his body. they don't have much hope of finding him alive. according to tran's family, she wanted to get back with the father of they are three children and that is why she broke off their relationship. there is more to be found out about the two bodies found in vallejo and what else they found there. eric has that. terry mcsweeney, abc 7 news. >> terry, thank you. investigators are also trying to figure out how valdamro is tied to the deaths of two women whose decomposing bodies were found in a vallejo home on tuesday. police say the victims are two friends, 63-year-old cindy allen and 60-year-old carol smart. neighbors say for the past decade valdamro lived off and on at the vallejo home where the two were found. investigators aren't sure what his relationship with the homeowners was but they said he fought with them, stole money and disturbed the neighborhood.

adding to the confusion, one of the victim's house continued living in the home after reporting his wife missing on sunday east what i can say is that when he was confronted with the fact that bodies were located in his residence, we believe he may have been involved. he did not react in the way we feel a normal person would react. >> rittenhouse was arrested yesterday morning and is being held at the solano county jail for possessing c-4 and dynamite. investigators are still trying to determine whether he played any role in the deaths of the two women. this morning some law enforcement experts are questioning the use of a taser on a marin county man who has a heart condition. this video on the camera mounted on the advertiser shows peter mcfarlane as he's confronted by two sheriff deputies and in his home. they want to take him to the hospital because they think he could be suicidal. when he ignores the deputies'

orders. >> the officers should have tried hand techniques and he started to pull way, then, use, use the taser. but why go to the taser right away. >> mcfarlane sued marin county on monday, the sheriff's department. they say they take charges of excessive force but are confident the deputies will be vindicated when all the facts are considered. carly fiorina and barbara boxer would like to have another debate. each went after the other last night, a back and forth battle that largely focussed on the economy. it took place at st. mary's college. >> fiorina teed off on barbara boxer in her opening statement. >> her long track record in

washington d.c. is consistent and clear and the results of her policies are devastating for this state. >> barbara boxer answered by attacking fiorina's six years as ceo of hewlett-packard. >> who made her name as the ceo in hewlett-packard laying thousands and thousands of workers off shipping their jobs overseas, making no sacrifice while she was doing it, taking $100 million. >> fiorina defended her tenure at h. p. saying in the 21st century, any job can go anywhere and outlined some ideas for promoting jobs at home. >> i propose a two-year tax holiday for every business that hires an unemployed worker. >> while fiorina talked tax cuts, barbara boxer talked government programs. >> we've doubled the transportation funding. that means thousands of jobs and jobs are my focus. that's why i'm working to make california the hub of the new

clean energy economy. >> california's lead in green energy and carly's only summable of the night was when she was asked her position on prop 23, a measure that would appeal california's greenhouse gas legislation. >> do you support prop 23 which would suspend a. b. 32. >> my focus is on a national energy policy -- >> yes or no. you just answered do you support it. >> i have not taken a position on it yet. >> boxer pounced. >> that shows me that china takes the lead away from us with solar, that germany takes the lead away from us with wind. but i guess my opponent is kind of used to creating jobs in china and other places. >> both candidates said they would like to see more debates. none however are scheduled. >> time now 6:36. today we'll get the results of a long-awaited investigation into pg&e's controversial smart meters. the state's public utilities

commission hired investigators because of mounting complaints about the meters. many consumers say their utility bills shot way up after smart meters were installed. the investigators have been testing the meters five months now. a consumer advocacy group said no matter the result, there should be a moratorium on smart meters because of continuing doubts of the technology. >> when you have thousands of consumers saying wait a minute, i don't like it, i don't trust it and i'm not benefiting from it, those consumer complaints should be heard. >> pg&e says its own tests show the meters are working well. they'll be working today inland because the a. c. will be on, right, lisa? >> yes. but cooling on tap for our coast. our winds are shifting. less of a north wind, more of an onshore wind. that's going to bring the fog closer. one more hot day inland around the bay and it's all over. 57 san francisco.

cooler in the north bay with those longer nights and temperatures in the 50s. 50 half moon bay. but we are looking at a spare the air day today again with poor air quality our inland east bay and santa clara valley. another hot day today in our east bay valleys. santa clara valley not as warm.

through the altamont pass only 25 minutes. tod todayis a spare the air day. no delays in mass transit and a live look at the east shore freeway. headlights moving westbound on interstate 80. the drive time from the carquinez bridge to the maze just about 20 minutes. eric? >> megan, goes out there way

instead of doing its duty. a big change coming for every teenager little league baseball player in california. also trading is on the way on wall street. a live report from the new york stock exchange straight ahead. meantime an early live look at the big board. the dow currently up about 7 points. plus the new evidence that plans for a bart train to oakland international airport may be way off track. and the san francisco park that many now say is too popular. why neighbors are calling

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good thursday morning. it's a warm start in san francisco at 67. but the fog is getting closer. still a spare the air day and

very hot across the state with 100 in sacramento. 83 in the northern sierra and we'll look at a light offshore flow at the higher elevations. another day before you feel a cooling around the bay. statewide. it's 88 los angeles and 76 comfortable degrees in san diego. eric. >> lisa, thank you. federal immigration authorities have agreed to meet with san francisco sheriff mike hennessey to talk about the city's request to opt out of the federal fingerprinting program. that sends fingerprint information directly to immigration authorities. hennessey sent a letter this week to federal authorities asking to opt out of the program. it's the second time he's made the request. his initially letter last may was never formally responded to. some supervisors in santa clara county said it should also opt out of the fingerprinting program. a new study says 23% of all the nation's illegal immigrants live in california.

a research center report estimates that 2.5 million illegal immigrants lived in california in 2009. roughly 7% of the state's population; however, the report says the number of undocumented residents actually dropped by 4% from 2008. overall the number of illegal immigrants in the u.s. in 2009 went down for the first time in 20 years. the two men arrested as possible terror suspects earlier this week have now been released. the yemeni member were arrested in the netherlands. the luggage of one man included a cellphone taped to a bottle of pepto-bismol plus a knife and a boxcutter. investigators say there is no evidence linking them to a terror plot. the yemeni embassy says the arrest highlights an ongoing misunderstanding of yemen and its citizens. an 18 year sold muslim american woman from the south bay is suing clothing company aber come by and fitch. saying these violated her rights

when the store in milpitas refused to hire her because she wears a head scarf. she claims a manager told her it violated the abercrombie look. another teenager was fired last february for wearing her head scarf. an islamic rights group has filed a formal complaint in that case. it's hollister's parent company. the california economy is improving and b.p. is again upping -- h. p., excuse me, upping its bid. this morning's "moneyscope" report. >> it's tough sometimes! the jobs picture showing signs of improvement in california. the bureau of state and labor statistics in state of california, almost 6,000 fewer people filed for initially

jobless claims in the latest week and that's thanks for fewer layoffs in the california insurance industry. the number of americans seeking unemployment benefits, not enough to really indicate much improvement in the labor market. meantime the bidding war for three par is definitely intensifying. hewlett-packard boosting its offer to $33 a share. h. p., they're trying to go with the bid instead of a sweetened offer from dell. and looks like it's working. three par issuing a statement saying h. b.'s offer is superior to dell. fremont-based free par, they have data storage systems. we have a whopper of a deal in the fast food world. burger king being acquired by a private investor. $24 a share. that comes out to $4 billion. stocks now not really moving anywhere. investors waiting on a lot of things. july pending home sales coming out in a few minutes. also tomorrow's big august jobs

report from the labor department. watched here on wall street as you see, right now the dow down four points. the bloomberg silicon valley index, that's also moving slightly lower, too. and you got google. google and aol explanning their global partnership. signing a new five-year internet search deal with google and expands the partnership to include mobile search and the placement of aol video on youtube.com. that's business news live at the new york stock exchange. bloomberg news. >> courtney, thank you very much. hurricane earl is heading towards the eastern seaboard and is expected to hit the u.s. mainland late tonight. the category 4 is packing 142 mph winds. the red cross is ready to open dozens of shelters on long island, new york and north carolina where many tourists have already left the outer banks. >> looking forward to a nice vacation and now our vacation's over. >> won't let us stay. they're going to make us sit in

this traffic. >> roads likely to overwash and be closed for several days. >> president obama has already signed a disaster declaration for north carolina and fema is already directing food and water north to cape cod. strengthened overnight. >> that's right. it strengthened and will be a major hurricane when it brushes the outer banks of north carolina tonight even though it is expected to weaken in the next 12 hours. still a category 4 though throughout the day. a beautiful day right now but later on, boy, it's gonna be hot again inland. a live look outside from mount tam. a few high clouds over the city but that has not inhibited the really cooling from the long overnight hours in the north bay where numbers have dropped into the 50s. i want to follow that theme of the hurricane though and get you updated in the tropical at that time. gascon which is weakening at 40

mph. once again earl will be moving through the atlantic waters. it's turning to the north, northeast. it will continue at its peak strength for the next 12 hours and then weaken later on today but still a category 4 hurricane with winds of over 75 mph. and they extend outward. there's hurricane force winds up to 90 miles. it will weaken as it moves up through virginia and by early morning hours tomorrow in new jersey, then nova scotia continuing to weaken by tomorrow night. but still looking at a storm surge, raising water levels 3 to 5 feet, 6 inches of rain, the outer banks of north carolina and a couple inches of rain along long island. temperatures are dropping in the north bay, although it's still warmer than yesterday. 50 half moon bay and we will be looking at numbers today to warm quickly in our east bay valleys for another hot day there with upper 90s to near 100. not as warm at our coast and the

cooling trend continues through the holiday weekend. 92 santa clara. temperatures here a little cooler, half moon bay, upper 60s. 90 redwood city. a nice day downtown, 78. no more 80s for you. you're on the edge of the cusp of that heat wave dying today in the city, 94 sonoma, 85 oakland. on the warm side here on the east bay. inland valleys, 98 pittsburgh and fog. it will continue to drop temperatures near monterey today. a downward slide slightly around the coast today at our beaches but still hot inland and the cooling trend continues for below normal temperatures by the holiday weekend. where is all that this morning, megan. >> chp has issued a sigalert southbound 17 at summit road. all lanes are blocked after a big rig carrying crates weighing 43,000 pounds of beer overturned on to the roadway.

beer is pouring out all over the roadway. traffic is being diverted off now on to summit road and back on using summit road as well. so you cannot get by on highway 17. the backup goes to redwood estates. avoid this area. cal tran is on the scene trying to work at cleaning all this up. we're sending sky 7 to the scene so we should have a live picture for you shortly. elsewhere at the bay bridge toll plaza, metering lights are on. we have a backup right to that west grand overcrossing. about a 15 minute delay making would your way through the toll plaza. for the latest go to abc7news.com and click on the traffic link. eric? >> a call for volunteers to help with the cleanup yet? >> i knew you were gonna ask that. (laughter) >> let me know when they do. a new report finds bart's planned oakland airport connector would cost dramatically more than what was projected a decade ago. the san francisco examiner

reports the project would cost $484 million and serve only 4300 passengers each year. it was originally projected to cost $130 million and transport 13,000 passengers annually. the report was researched by an oregon-based transportation firm hired by translink which has strongly opposed to the connector project from the column assume station to the oakland international airport. it would replace the current airbart buses. last month the bart board of directors reaffirmed its commitment to the project. residents in san francisco's mission district are now raising concerns that dolores park has become too popular. a group called safe, clean, green says it wants fewer events and more police. there are 25 city-sponsored events last year including cinco de mayo, the gay pride party and spontaneous events like box wars. that's what you're looking at there where competitors wear cardboard boxes. >> there are underaged drinkers, people smoking pot all day. there's kids that are doing

heroin now. and i feel like everybody goes by my house with open containers. >> the park and rec department posted signs reminding people that drinking and smoking are not allowed. some park users say they too want a safe environment but don't want a war on fun. little league baseball now says it's placing a moratorium on the use of composite bats. one similar to the national federation of high school associations. concern over the use of the bats made headlines last spring when a high school pitcher suffered serious injuries after being hit by a line drive off a composite bat. they travel faster than bats made of alloy or wood. 6:54 now. recapping our top stories, investigators think they may know the motive on the killing spree that claimed four lives and police looking for another potential victim. terry mcsweeney live in hercules where it all began with the

latest. terry? >> yeah. police are still trying to unravel this very tangled web. what they have so far is a lovers relationship gone bad but there is much more to know. take a look at the couple at the core of this story. police say 38-year-old valdamro here was dumped by 46-year-old cindy tran and everything flowed from there. that's why he kidnapped her from work tuesday, strangled her during a high-speed chase that ended in richmond with officers shooting and killing him and the officers were chasing him in the first place because he was wanted for the murder of 73-year-old ricardo salas in hercules on saturday. the body was found in a house owned by tran where valdamro lived on and off. salas' 35-year-old son frederick is missing and feared dead. valdamro expected an affair between tran and one of those salas's. where valdamro also says sometimes two more bodies found,

both women. the husband, charles rittenhouse kept living in the house after he reported his wife missing sunday. he was aest ared not for murder but for possession -- rather possession of explosive material, c-4 and dynamite found at the house. what is the connection between all this? that's what they're trying to sort out and there is one person out there, frederick salas. they're looking for a body, not really looking for trying to find him alive somewhere. that search will continue today and the investigation continues in these three different bay area studies. terry mcsweeney, abc 7 news. >> terry, thank you very much. final check on weather and traffic. >> eric, we've got a 20 degrees spread from the coast to inland valleys. 50 half moon bay, a warmer hot day inland as high pressure controls most of the weather around the bay but a sea breeze cools temperatures at our coast, 78 san francisco. warm in oakland and 90s from the south bay to the inland valleys, upper 90s to near 100.

92 santa rosa. maybe 2 degrees cooling around the bay. the most significant cooling at the coast. the fog is here traveling up. i don't know if we're going to reach that 75 in monterey. slight cooling today, a spare the air day and tomorrow 90s inland but much cooler over the weekend for the holiday. a cool summer. and the trends continues after today. good morning, megan. >> good morning. southbound highway 17 through the santa cruz mountains still the place to avoid right now. a live look at the bridge toll plaza. go to maps. a sigalert in effect after a truck carrying crates that weighed up to 43,000 pounds of beer has spilled all over the roadway. all lanes are blocked right now. traffic being diverted off at summit road. cal tran on the scene to start the cleanup. it starts at redwood estates. no traffic getting by here. whoa! a lot of beer on the roadway! >> still a lot of beer.

thank you for joining