michael finney, 7 on your side. >> good advice there. anybody here know anything about zumba, anybody here taking zumba classes? >> eye done one. -- i've done one. >> you know i wasn't talking but, right? it is him! [ talking over each other ] >> it was fun, i had a great time, i can't walk well today because my calves are killing me. >> folks are going to demand to see your moves i am >> i know you got rhythm, i want to see yours. >> one way to keep the wife happy, dance. >> tap dance a forecast. >>> 6:17. good advice by michael finney, no doubt. i was fun, i had a great time. always like being the only man in the class. :17 -- i'm kidding. here's some of the clouds spilling into the coastal valleys from the south from mount tamalpais. let's talk about live doppler 7 hd, you can see includes nothing showing up as far as wet weather, no mist or drizzle or drizzle and me. let's talk about what is going on as far as our temperatures, we are running in the 50s again this morning, we have one 60, the same spot most of the morning around redw

michael finney is here now answering questions. and there is amy s who asks are mystery shopping jobs legitimate? >> yes. but no one is asking to you do it. and no one is advertising for to you do it. there are people out there making money on this but there is a lot of fob phony, bad people out there trying to take your money there is the web site you are need to go. mystery shop.org. there are legitimate ways to make money out there. they're not the one that's write you through the mail. >> never pay money or cash a check for anyone. >> eileen asks how can you fight a ticket from a broken parking meter. >> this is a law that says if a meter is broken you get to park there as long as you could have been allowed. this is a big deal because that wasn't a state wide law before. now it is. and you're going to say that was broken. they're going to say tho. it wasn't. try to take a picture of it. and you've got a cell phone with us. there is a better chance. >> and there is one from judy m. i was wondering if publisher's clearing house

you can contact michael on twitter at m finny and facebook.com/michael finney abc 7. >> outside we go. there is a look at 80 and 101. the skyway is slow on this monday, but not too bad. stay with us. abc 7 news at 4:00 continues in just a moment. [ mom ] to me, chex is not just a little bowl of cereal, it's kind of a big deal. to find nutritious and gluten-free cereals my whole family actually loves? well, the word "wow" comes to mind. and then a friend told me chex has five flavors that are gluten-free. even a cinnamon one the kids love. a nutritious cereal that makes everybody happy? like i said, wow. [ male announcer ] chex cereal. five flavors. good and gluten free. >>> checking healthy living news a study suggests spanking kids to lead to mental illness later in live. researchers found childhood punishment as spanking, slapping and hitting are associated with increased risk of major depression, mania, anxiety and alcohol and drug abuse. and that is a study in the journal pediatrics and research suggests the longer children spend in the womb the better they'll do academically. thi

. >> and michael finney is taking your questions on twitter and facebook and will answer them here live later on. you can contact michael on twitter and facebook.com. >> taking a look outside, at the skyway, there is the lower deck of the bay bridge, if you had to work today and you're about to leave to go home, it's looking good. light traffic on holiday wednesday. ♪ ♪ we were skipping stones ♪ and letting go ♪ over the river and down the road ♪ [ female announcer ] at nature valley, we know nature comes together in amazing ways. that's why we bring together natural ingredients, like dark chocolate with toasted oats, or sweet golden honey. perfect combinations of nature's delicious ingredients, from nature valley. ♪ ♪ i was thinking that i hope this never ends ♪ [ female announcer ] nature valley granola bars, nature at its most delicious. >>> checking healthy living news the maker of oxycontin is beginning to test on med sichblt it's a highly addictive painkiller, and producers need to study to extend the patents and this insists it's not for financial gain but to give

you can contact michael on twitter at m finney and facebook.com/michael finney abc 7. >> this is get away friday. it's going to take time there.ç traffic on the left side of the screen trying to head east. folks on the right easier if making their ways to the peninsula. stay with us. abc 7 news at 4:00 continues right after this. >>> checking healthy living news could put women at risk for a formsofñr breast cancer that is particularly difficult to treat. a french study hints they are caused by so called e.r.tumors. the e.r.negative tumor as kt for a quarter of all breast cancer buzz tend to grow faster and not as responsive to hormone based therapy autos there is research indicating yoga helps stroke survivors improve balance. a study looked at patients undergoing treatments. and findings found yoga boosted confidence and reduced a fear of falling and works even if patients had strokes months, or years before beginning yoga. good morning america co-host robin roberts announced she'll take medical leave to undergo a bone marrow transplant. she's been digÑi nosed with mda, a blood

how michael finney made things right for a south bay couple could not stand their new couch. that is at 6:00. >>> there is a study finds as many as one of five seniors suffers from mental health or substance abuse problems and this care may not be there to address mental needs of baby boomers and found the focus has been on preparing for physical needs rather than issues such as depression. >> there is a nice honor for a bay area community college and skyline community college received a award for its spark point program. it reaches out to low income students. >> this is equity certainly was a theme we can find and believe in. >> there are other winners in san bernardino he was a pioneer advocate and was secretary of state condoleezza rice's father. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios i'llwait... yeah...eryday valuwell, yeah, bacon.on. and my eggs sunny side-up. no, umm, over-easy. the $4 everyday value slam. one of 4 great choices for $4 of

. >> michael finney is taking your questions and will answer them here live later, you can contact michael on twitter or facebook.com/michael finney abc 7. >> and nine minutes past four, there is a view of the commute. the skyway downtown left to right going to the lower deck it's just a crawl at this point. remember there is a giants game this afternoon. did you hear a lot of the traffic heading back to the east bay. it's slow going. and better for building pass, corporate card, verizon 4g lte phone. the global ready one ? yeah, but you won't need... ♪ hajimemashite. hajimemashite. hajimemashite. you guys like football ? thank you so much. i'm stoked. you stoked ? totally. ... and he says, "under the mattress." souse le matelas. ( laughter ) why's the new guy sending me emails from paris ? paris, france ? verizon's 4g lte devices are global-ready. plus, global data for just $25. only from verizon. >>> the consumer products safety commission is suing members of desk toys because the magnets in them are so strong. they've been trying to get them to stop selling the items in 2008. it start

. >> and i'm michael finney. today, q and a is just ahead. and you can contact me on twitter at m finney and facebook.com/michael finney abc 7, i'll answer questions here in just a few minute autos thank you. and let's take a look outside. there is low clouds that will have big changes in the weather pattern. >> taking a look at traffic this is 101 in san rafael moving along not too bad for a friday. and stay with us. >>> a fallen bay area marine was laid to rest today. >> he was buried with full military honors in san bruno thanks to persistence of a fellow crew member's family. >> james was born in oakland raised in redwood city and joined marines in december, 1942. in 1944 during a night time training mission his b 25 bomber crashed in the south pacific. he and other six crew members were killed and it took until now to find them and bring them home. yesterday, his remains arrived at sfo. today he was buried at golden gate national cemetery, his niece never knew her uncle but says she knows he and her father were close and for her it was b

. >> and michael finney is taking your questions and you can contact michael at twitter and faceboo >>> this afternoon, secretary of state hillary clinton announced more than $150 million in new spending to help fight aids world wide. making that announcement this morning in washington. $80 million going towards preventing hiv-infected births and $40 million promoting voluntary male circumcision and $85 million going to reaching high-risk grum autos if we're going to beat aids we can't afford to avoid sensitive conversations and can't fail to reach the people at the highest risk. >> the doctor at san francisco general hospital is co-chair of the conference z sir elt yop john made a surprise appearance this morning. volunteers are displaying the aids quilt. >> there is a world cancer research fund says one in seven stomach cancers would be prevented if people stuck to guidelines. most people eight 8.5 grams per day. the group is recommending better food labeling. it's also linked to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. >> move over "shrek". dream works getting classic charact

later, you can contact michael on twitter at m finney and facebook.com/michael finney abc 7. >> taking a look at the san francisco skyway, it's slow going for drivers. and this is looking nice for [ male announcer ] the magic of nature appears every day, within each strand of an oat's rhythmical sway. when an apple's vibrant red temptation, and honey's sweet touch of golden sensation, join together with a pecan crunch you'll savor, creating the most perfect lesson in flavor. at nature valley, nature's best-written recipe is ready for you to enjoy. delicious granola bars made with the best ingredients in nature. nature valley, nature at its most delicious. >>> new research indicates growing up with pets could make children healthier. reports of children from their first birthday found the babies that grew up with cats or dogs grew up with less ear infections and needed less medication when sick. and researchers speculate and it the study published in the issue of pediatric autos researchers in uc irvine found people who drink cranberry juice or take cranberry capsules are in fact less l

michael finney has a new report that may make you think twice before you complain. >> temperatures nearing the triple digit mark inland. i'll let you know if the heat is here to day for a few more days. >> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. >>> firefighters in eastern contra costa county dealt with a destructive blaze in afternoon that left two hopes damaged the fire broke out in a neighborhood not far from highway 4. the fire started in one home and quickly spread to a neighboring house before firefighters were able to control the flames. nobody was injured. but the rear of the homes were heavily damaged. >>> nearly a million rural californians will begin receiving their first fire fee bill two weeks from today. the state expects to collect 90 million dollars to help pay for fire protection in some of the rural areas. the average bill is $150 a year they will be made out by county, there are roughly 825,000 homes, barns, stables and out-buildings in the acres covered by that fee. >>> san francisco is considering installing parking meters around the zoo. the city says,

i'm michael finney. new internet scams you need to know about. >> and flying high in the city of berkeley jie. and severe thunderstorms could slow your travel dow supply chef on your -- >>> seven on qlor side has alerted us about fishing scams where they create websites that look like real p cs. tonight a new warning. michael finney has a new con targeting the internet users. >> frantic is a good way to describe it. >> barbara rowe is talking about e-mails that sent shock waves through her lazy sunday morning. >> i had an e-mail from discover card saying my statement was available on-line. but i don't have a discover card. >> she opened the e-mail and panic grew. >> it said there was a balance of $10,600 some odd dollars. >> the e male said she -- the e-mail said she owed more than $10,000 and had to make a minimum payment. she could click here to make a payment right away. but barbara doesn't have a discover card. >> my initial reaction was that somebody had stolen my identity and opened a credit card,

michael finney has the one common complaint found >>> good morning. we are almost there, friday is just in the offing. this is friday eve. you are looking live at the bay bridge from our rooftop camera you see the clouds mike has been talking. >>> bay area woman heading a class action lawsuit accusing wal-mart of discriminating against disabled customers. the center for independent living filed on behalf of janet brown from pittsburgh. the complaint says wal-mart has ignored complaints its point of sale months are not within easy reach of people in wheelchairs. a wal-mart spokes person says its gel is to make all machines comply with the americans for disabilities act. >>> streaming video from the internet to tv's, computers or tablets is easier than ever. there are a lot of choices. michael finney tells us there's a common complaint about some of these streaming services. >> reporter: good morning. new consumer report survey shows more people watch videos from their couch than in the theater there are dozens of services to choose from this report wil

. >> and michael finney is taking your questions on twit skbrer face book and will answer them here live a little bit later,. >> taking a look at traffic outside on a friday fight, oh, boy. bring patience. you might want to wait because you're looking at traffic approaching bay bridge and going south. a little bit bogged up there. so we'll be back with more in just a moment. >>> new concerns for women taking fertility drugs. a study find women who's used fertility drugs and have a pregnancy that lasted 10 weeks or longer showed a small increased risk of breast cancer saying the elevated pro dungs of hormones may alter the normal tissue and recommend women who use the fertility drugs talk to their doctors about increased cancer screening autos there is a major drug company removing certain labels from widely used centrum vitamins. and now, the company has agreed to drop breast health and colon health from the bottles saying the claims imply vit hins would prevent breast and colon cancer. they say it's illegal to make these prevention claims. pfizer agreed to modify language relating to he

i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >>> fog in the morning, sun on the way. mike is here with the forecast. >>> water weather also, checking to see if there are flight arrival delays because of the low clouds as we look down on from it mount tamalpais this morning you can see thicker, more moisture with it earlier, we ran into drizzle, terry did coming from the north bay. haven't seen any reports of any lately we have flight arrival this case into sfo running around an hour and 13 minutes san jose and oakland are on time. you can see moisture plume covering the better part of the eastern third of the state if you will, right through the central coast into the sierra where we'll continue to have a chance of showers even a thunderstorm this afternoon if you are heading to tahoe, yosemite, don't be surprised if you see lightning and hear thunder especially early morning to mid-afternoon hours. if you are hanging around here, stepping out now, mid to upper 50s. low to mid 50s monterey bay mid to upper 50s inland mostly cloudy conditions there and patchy drizzle.

i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >>>:15. don't be surprised if you see the occasional tv person shopping at the dollar store. >> i just bought two swimming noodles, for the pool yesterday. a dollar for two of 'em. great deal. >> send my wife in she likes to do it. >> water guns they had all sorts of hot weather related stuff. >>> still need it today in some areas, other areas getting a reprieve. beautiful sunrise from mount tamalpais this morning back towards the east gorgeous the way it is glistening and reflecting off the bay water. live doppler pretty thick fog along the coast 3/4 mile visibility at half moon bay. was not seeing reports of mist or drizzle, we are off to a dry start with live doppler this morning. let's talk about temperatures just updated these with the latest numbers, 61 fairfield, antioch and livermore 64, everybody else in the 50s monterey bay and inland fairly cloudy and low to mid 50s. by the afternoon hours, poor air quality once again spare the air even though it not going to be as hot as it was ye

i'm michael finney. new internet scams you need to know about. >> and flying high in the city of berkeley jie. and severe thunderstorms could slow your travel dow supply chef on your -- >>> seven on qlor side has alerted us about fishing scams p cs like real p cs.sites tonight a new warning. michael finney has a new con targeting the internet users. >> frantic is a good way to describe it. >> barbara rowe is talking about e-mails that sent shock waves through her lazy sunday morning. >> i had an e-mail from discover card saying my statement was available on-line. but i don't have a discover card. >> she opened the e-mail and panic grew. >> it said there was a balance of $10,600 some odd dollars. >> the e male said she -- the e-mail said she owed more than $10,000 and had to make a minimum payment. she could click here to make a payment right away. but barbara doesn't have a discover card. >> my initial reaction was that somebody had stolen my identity and opened a credit card, and now i have to get rid o

i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >> coming up next, the annual march of the penguins. the san francisco zoo gets ready to hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios >> good morning, everyone. i'm terry mcsweeney. legs begin with a quick look at the weekend weather forecast a hot one on the way. here's meteorologist lisa argen. >> hi, terry. we do have fog. we have a sea breeze that will keep the coast cool but elsewhere around the bay the relative humidity is dropping and the temperatures will be coming up today. 50s and 60s to start that out. 50s and upper 70s by noontime. and inland we are talking upper 90s by about 3:00, 4:00 this afternoon. terry. >> thank very

michael finney will tellñ!ñcús >>> good morning many sacramento mayor johnson is hoping a major league baseball team can keep fans happy assuming the city loses the kings the task force announced yesterday it will shop for a team possibly the a's because they are shopping for a new home. the a's have had their eyes set on san jose but that territory belongs to the giants. sacramento has the triple a river cats team the minor league team for the athletics. >> whether it is your ipod or smartphone electronic devices aren't cheap if your vacation takes you near water or sand you want to protect them. michael finney is here with travel bags offering the best protection. >> reporter: good morning everyone! there are lots of summer hot spots that are far from tech-friendly. consumer reports has just checked out bags designed to keep you connected and protected. summer means time at the beach or the pool. you want to take your tech gear wherever you go, right? so what happens when your pricey piece ends up in the dr

i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >> good to know. >> hanging on every word. now i can get to the store immediately. >> you still have 45 minutes to go here. >> it is important. >> it is the. buckle her seat belt so she can stay for rest of the rid >> italian, olive oil, i completely understand, yes i do. >> you gotta say here too bud. >> i was going to try to sneak out, guess not. sorry katie. >> i'll bring you some back. >> thank you. good morning, beautiful sunrise, sun breaking free of the east bay hills mount diablo on the right from sutro tower this morning, going to be another warm one around the bay to hot inland this afternoon. the reason why, because we don't have much going on outside. we have a lack of clouds and that means really no flight delays possible into sfo. the clouds we have are along the coast. what we're looking at on live doppler, put the umbrellas away unless you need it to shade you from the sun today. let's move on, we'll talk about those temperatures. look at 60s still holding on, fairfield, antioch, livermore, fremont, mountain vi

i'm michael finney. 7 on your side is coming up. >> abc7 news is teaming up with sleep train to raise support for foster children in the bay area. for every new like on facebook a dollar will go to the sleep train campaign which buys things like food and school supplies for foster children. dan ashley looks at one organization that uses that to make a difference for foster children. >> all of these people have been through tough times that no child should ever have to experience and all of them ended up in foster care. >> i wanted to be with my family but i didn't want to go through being abused anymore. >> we can't show their faces but we can share their hope for a better future. >> my first goal is to go to uc college. >> go to cosmetology school and save up my money so i can have more money to put toward my career. >> these teenagers are aiming high thanks in part to a group called foster a dream. they focus on foster children 12 to 24-year-old and trying to give them some of the same support that families provide. >> things that will spark that idea of i can do better, things can

i'm michael finney. coming up on 7 on your our cloud is not soft and fluffy. our cloud is made of bedrock. concrete. and steel. our cloud is the smartest brains combating the latest security threats. it spans oceans, stretches continents. and is scalable as far as the mind can see. our cloud is the cloud other clouds look up to. welcome to the uppernet. >>> an alarming trend in identity theft is becoming more and more prevalent. adults steal identities of children. here's 7 on your side michael finney to explain. >> the person got too much power. >> like a lot of children, ten-year-old riley loves reading the harry potter books. she sees a connection between what happened to her and what happened to harry potter. except hers was an i.d. thief. >> you are being put into a trap. it's really hard to get out. >> twice thieves have stolen her social security number. someone used riley's number to start home, gas and electric service and then defaulted on the bill. the other incident happened before she was even born. >> there's no checks. there's no checks by the b

i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >> francis is here sitting in for lisa argen. busy over there work on your computer models. what's up? >> yes, i'm trying to get the latest on when the fog and low clouds will clear in your neighborhood. and to show you some of the sunshine we had to go way newspaper the mountain tops. here we see the low clouds and the fog kind of still cascading over the hills in the east bay. now the sun rose at 6:11. it will set at 8:21. check out, this is a really cool shot of the golden gate bridge. when do you see three lanes blocked off for marathon runners? carolyn and i were just talking about how impressed we are with these folks up so early in the morning and running from the ferry building out to the golden gate bridge and back. you notice traffic is actually flowing well. but quite a few folks. >> and great weather for them, too. >> temperatures right now in the 50s. this is good weather for folks running 26.2 miles. we will check out live doppler 7 hd, although i wanted to stay on that shot longer just because it was so cool. it's

i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >> coming up next, take a look at this. why thousands of people were throwing rancid tomatoes at good morning! wow. want to start the day with something heart healthy and delicious? you're a talking bee... honey nut cheerios has whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol. and it tastes good? sure does! right... ♪ wow. delicious, right? yeah. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... ♪ well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy. >> check out the winning numbers from last night's million dollars super lotto plus. no one got all six numbers so wednesday night's jackpot climbs to at least $13 million. so you say you want to have some good, messy fun? how about a nice tomato fight? you don't have to travel to spain's famous festival anymore. a seattle based company organized this tomato battle in san diego this weekend. nearly 3,000 people paid admission to have fun turning rancid tomato into tomato sauce by throwing them at each other. it took place in a fenced-off parking lot and nearly e

. >> until michael finney got >> until michael finney got the new i'll have the $4 everyday value slam with... bacon. wait... yeah... well, yeah, bacon. and my eggs sunny side-up. no, umm, over-easy. the $4 everyday value slam. one of 4 great choices for $4 off the 2-4-6-8 value menu. only at denny's. you can see >>> here is a question. is it worth spending big money to repair on old car some. >> one man put a lot of cash into his old van only to watch it breakdown. he had a warranto on this thing. >> this story all boils down to that warranty. this consumer did get a two-year warranty. and however, neither did the warrant. >> it would go nowhere. >>. >> he is recalling the day his van raced, sputtered and won't shift into gear it was slipping and sliding. i'd have to pull over and let it turn off. >> and this is the third time in a year he had the trouble. he had 10 months left on the warranty for the transmission. so he took it back to fremont and asked for repair. >> this is not you had a one year warranty, tranny shot. >> oh. but pointing out he had a two-year warranty purchased. j

. >> and michael finney exposes the way some ticket scalpers are tricking people into paying a premium price for tickets they think they're buying from the box office, then... >> we know this is a real particle. >> the tiny particle scientists say is a big deal, scientists play a role that could have important hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios >> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. >>> crews clean up of a freight train derailed. 27 cars went off the and to prevent the train accident and nobody was hurt. the union pacific railroad is trying to figure out what went wrong. >> and switching gears now to let you know about the threat of fog, it's not stopping thousands of people from heading to san francisco to watch the big fire works show tonight. they're going to be two locations sending rockets into the air not the best places to see fire works in the areas from fisherman's wharf to aquatic park. abc 7 news joins us live with more

i'm michael finney. "7 on your side." >> morning, you can learn more about the freedom school. you'll hear from a doctor in san francisco about the many ways the freedom school helps kids and parents. also you will learn about other free or low cost summer programs for kids to keep them active and engaged. join us for beyond the headlines at 10:00 this morning right after our newscast on abc7. then right after "beyond the headlines," please join us for profiles of excellence program. talking with leaders working hard to make a difference in our community. >>> coming up next. this year's ethnic dance festival is drawing to a close. we'll tell you when and where you can catch one final performance today. >>> in this afternoon the final per for answer of the ethnic dance festival in san francisco. last night a silent auction was healed with abc7 ang qor cheryl jennings and don sanchez as the emcees. today's show at yerba buena center is four weekends of entertain. this would be a good day, to get out and do just about anything. >> if you want to watch that and go out to the beach

. >>> michael finney has best bargains when it comes to white wine. >>> first high speed rail sermon a few hours away. >> reporter: i'm terry mcsweeney in san francisco's city hall. the wife of us is suspended sheriff ross mirkarimi is -- expected testify today on his behalf trying to downplay the incident as she did with abc7 exclusive interview. >>> 60s and 70s today morning low clouds giving way to afternoon high clouds. if you are heading out in the 90s near 100 everywhere except fargo, minneapolis 80s pacific northwest in the 70s flight arrival delays into sfo that are >>> good morning. 6:30 a.m. on this wednesday july 18th. that is a gorgeous shot outside of the bay under the bay bridge i would imagine and oakland you see there. thank you so much for joining us on this wednesday morning i'm eric thomas. >>> and i'm kristen sze. we still see clouds not the drizzle. let's check in with mike. >>> few and far between in morning, especially compared to yesterday morning. hello, welcome to wednesday live doppler, don't see radar returns we saw yesterday, the drizzle patchy, higher el

and a man giving so much to his count try michael finney shows you the bargain white wines if you have $10 you can afford them. abc 7 news at 4:00 continues in just a moment. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios >>> home is now where the purple heart is for a veteran and family and there are a home they received, mortgage-free, part of a program to help veterans wounded in combat. nick smith joins us live with the story. >> the same man says you learn to hide your feelings and he was all smiles today. he was presented with keys to his new home. >> this is a symbol of healing. this really s this just a straight kick to the butt. things are good, now. >> united states marine veteran, a former scout sniper instruckor embarked on a mission. after three hours in combat duty it earned him the purple heart and has been given keys to a new life, a new home. he took me to what he's calling his favorite room. the garage. >> this is where i'm going to be situated

. >> michael finney >>> of course no one should have to pay fr a service they're not getting but a san jose family has been doing that for years. >> and michael finney is here with their story and managed to get to the bottom of the list it took a while. dispute is over a garbage pail. and unwinding something going on this long? well, that is anything but simple. >> linda enjoys time in her garden. tuck wade in the corner of her yard are two garbage cans. a black one, and a blue one. and missing is a yellow can for yard waste. >> we never had a yellow can. never had a green waste can. no one in this complex had a yellow can. >> yard waste is left on the curb, picked up by homeowner's association. yet, she discovered her family has been paying for a yellow can it never had. and her late mother suffered from alzheimer's. she suspects the billing dates back five years ago. when mom was paying the bill. >> the point is being billed for something you never had. >> she called the garbage company. the next bill arrived and the charge was on there. she crossed it out, and requested the company

michael finney is ahead with the worst offenders. >>:13. the u.s. post office faces a wednesday deadline to pay a 5.5 billion dollar loan payment a symbol of is enormous financial problems this covers retiree health benefits. postal officials have asked congress to help. the usps can probably meet this payment, down the road is another matter. the postal service has offered retirement packages to employees and wants to eliminate saturday service as a way to save money. >>> boxed, frozen or canned, americans spend more than 100 billion dollars a year on processed food more than any other type of food. michael finney tells us, the pictures on the packaging don't always tell the truth about what is inside. >> reporter: good morning. what's pictured on packages looks delicious it can be a disappointment when the food doesn't match the picture. consumer reports gets a lot of complains about this walking down the supermarket aisle you see one mouth watering photo after another. how does the food look when you get it home? >> whatever comes out that microw

that is when 7 on your side's michael finney stepped in to help. >> right here. this is where it's sagging. >> ted sanchez shows us pictures of what we felt was wrong with his new sofa. his wife compared to the new coach to a five-year-old one. >> this is a solid back. this is just like when we got it. >> that durability they expected. >> it wasn't sagging, they were all nice and fluffed up. >> they purchased it from furniture store in santa clara. they complained to customer service and they quickly offered to get more fiber material to firm up the pillow. solution couldn't come soon enough. >> they kept saying, this couch is not comfortable. >> reporter: months passed and the promised fiber did not arrive. the manager of ato furniture. >> they have a special fiber that goes in to it to make it firmer. it does take a little bit of time to get the right kind of material that was originally purchased. >> reporter: after four months, ted's patience had run out. >> i sent an e-mail to the owner if this was not resolved by the independent of the week i was going to t

michael finney is here with the tomato sauce taste test. >> good morning. consumer reports just tested more than one dozen pasta sauces to find out which ones were best. price and taste were considered. store bought tomato sauce, norma panetta wouldn't think of it. >> they opened up a jar. fine you can have it but i won't buy it. >> its family tradition to make it. but if you don't have the time you might wand which jar sauces. big names, prego, ragu and others. also tested, two celebrity test sauces from gilati and two store brands from walmart and whole foods. >> tomato intensity and flavor, level of sourness or sweetness, whether a herb or fresh or dry. >> testers blind testing the sauce. >> it should have the flavor of ripe tomatoes and flavor suld be balanced. >> test results were mixed for instance, hunt's pasta sauce was the least expensive but it was also the least tasting. >> it had a sourness to it. >> also 3655 every day marinara pasta sauce wasn't much better. >> the sawss 1 were freshly sauces one of the best had a, gilata basil sauce from targ

michael finney tells us how to stay save. >> reporter: good morning! it might be -- time to take a break from constant communication injuries from distracted walk something a growing problem. you may have seen this video of a woman item leng into a fountain at the mall while texting. -- it might make you chuckle. consumer report says phones put pedestrians in a fog. >> clearly, drivers aren't the only people distracted by electronic devices pedestrians are too ain't can be dangerous. >> reporter: in a poll consumer reports found 85% of americans had recently seen someone use a mobile device to talk, text, e-mail or use apps while walking. of those who witness such behavior, 52% say the pedestrians have dangered themselves or others. >> numbers are hard to pin down, injuries are occurring while pedestrians are using a mobile device appear to be going up. >> reporter: a project estimates that injuries of nonmotorized people mostly pedestrians distracted by cell phones are increasing by more than 180 a year. >> falling into a fountain might be funny. what

michael finney says the imposters are out there getting money from victims. >>> eva of san mateo always made sure her computer is secure from hackers and ironically it's trying to be secure that led her right into a scam. >> i thought for sure. >> it started when she received an e-mail offering to renew her norton protection plan for two years for $120. it sounded good and she called the phone number and spoke to a woman. >> she said good. give me your credit number and i did. >> not only that she let her get in the computer by remote control thinking she would update her norton account. >> i let her into my computer and she fixed everything she had. she was very sweet. she was very professional. i highly respected her. >> she found out the $120 apparently never appeared. folks at norton you never paid us. here on the credit statement it clearly shows the payment to paypal on norton, why didn't it get there. she called pay pal. >> i said what is this. who has the $120. she said i will take care of it. >> pay pal insisted it did pay norton and norton said they never got the money. eva fo

. >> michael finney has the details. >> luis bird is filling up his 2011 hyundai elantra. it is a sweet ride. he takes good care of it and keeps close track of it too. look at this little book. every time luis buys gas he writes how much he bought and how far he has gone. >> had about 26,000 miles i have an over all rating of 29.92. >> and that he says is the problem. look at the sticker that came with his car. city miles per gallon, 29. highway mpg, 40. the smaller print shows in the city, mileage could go as high as 34 miles per gallon. and highway, as much as 37mpg. >> my mileage is no where close. i tracked every gallon of gas i put in this car from when i got it. >> there is a lively debate on-line about how many miles per gallon the 2011 and 2012 elantras get. here is a video posted by usa today technology aren'ter jefferson graham. >> promises 29 to for 40 miles per gallon, but better than 22 miles. >> i got 22 miles per gallon average driving in the city and on the highway in this new elantra. call me disappointed, i am disappointed. >> hyundai has been making impr

. >> michael finney is here to explain what happened. >> i love this guy. and this is bad news, you've been receiving unemployment benefits you could be asked to pay some back. the government overpaid $14 million last year to those who aren't actively searching a job, people who quit or were zpird those who continue to file claims though they found a new job. those circumstances make a person ineligible for benefits. okay. here is a guy. urban gordon's 1966 solveo 100 s just keeps going and going. there this schoolteacher hopes to read the one million park and this is the first person to hold that record. the 72-year-old drives he says everywhere. >> i'll hope it's a pit fall. you know? i'll go visit the pig farm. >> in simon temp yerl's car? he bought this car in june, 1966 for $4150 u.s. dollars. he wanted to buy the convertible with air conditioning but it was too expensive and would it last? one more bring to break, right? >> thank you. >> and roll the window tow town -- down. >> there what been an outpouring of support for usher after his 11-year-old s

michael finney is here with the top restaurant pancakes. >> reporter: good morning! just in time 4th of july road trip consumer reports taste tested numerous restaurants to see how i-top pancakes stack up against the competition. favorite way to start the day -- >> i love them every morning they are so good. >> i love pancakes. >> reporter: consumer reports testers went undercover to find who makes great tasting buttermilk pancakes five chains, including i-hop, denny's and cracker barrel. japan cakes should be tender and moist not wet and pasty. when it comes to flavors you want to get hint of the grain. >> reporter: i-hop claims it pancakes are award winning with authentic country flavor. >> i-hop pancake looked better than they tasted as they cooled they became tough. >> reporter: denny's tasted as if they came a mix so did ones from country kitchen. the best came from cracker barrel and perkins cooked to a nice golden brown and tasted freshly prepared with the best restaurants consumer reports found it is better to order pancakes in the morning. >> when we ordered

tonight michael finney explains why we could be waiting a long time and a consumer group calls for a closure of an east bay oil refinery. and nasa's countdown to what sit calling hardest mission ever attempted by a planetary growers. those stories and more coming up tonight. >> worlds news is coming up next. >> and from all of us here, thanks for watching. we'll see new half an hour. >>> tonight on "world news" -- the cruel summer. a dangerous new heat wave. half the nation parched by drought. a fierce lightning strikes houses and turns a soccer game deadly. and look what firefighters saw coming toward them in the middle of a wildfire. >>> air scare, passengers discover needles in the sandwiches on board several flights from europe to the united states. injuries have been reported. >>> olympic breach. as american athletes stream into london tonight. serious concerns about security. is that officer napping on the job? >>> hidden in suburbia. this ordinary high school kid on the skateboard, allegedly at the

here's michael finney with what you need to know if you plan to challenge your property tax assessment bill. >> reporter: he takes time to reflect as he waits for the city of san francisco to make a decision on his appeal of his property tax assessment. he's been waiting since last year for an answer. >> they said well it would be at least six more months before you hear about 2011. >> reporter: he appealed last summer after the appraised value of his home came in $40,000 less than his tax base. >> i submitted in july 2011 and paid a nonrefundable $60 fee and didn't hear anything for a year >> reporter: chad's case is not unusual. the san francisco assessment appeal board says 75% of the more than 6,000 appeals already filed, still need to be scheduled. neither the san francisco appeal board, nor the assessor's office would agree to an on camera interview. the past president of the california assessor's association did talk to us. ron thompson is alameda county's tax assessor. he says the backlog in california started a few years back. >> it started to peak in 2009 and 10, now 11 they

michael finney has tips to look out for. >> reporter: good morning! given all the perils that could derail your trip, including medical emergencies, natural disasters even political upheavals, traveling insurance is worth considering. consumer reports cautions it always a great deal. -- it isn't always a great deal. some will say bill has the worst luck when it comes to planning a vacation. >> once we had a death in the family i had to cancel three days before. the second time i injured my leg and had to cancel maybe two, three weeks before. >> reporter: fortunately, bill bought travel insurance for both trips. go most of the nearly $12,000 he laid out. >> travel insurance is a two billion dollar a year industry covering everything from natural disasters to personal medical emergencies. >> reporter: do you need travel insurance? consumers reports says maybe, but buy wisely. for instance, don't buy insurance that covers small losses like lost luggage if you are worried about dying in a plane crash, skip flight insurance instead think of about term life

>>> michael finney will have advice on what you can do when that picture is way off. coming up as abcÑ/&Ñfñ!ñx1q1q >> former vice president cheney has given his first interview since undergoing a heart transplant in march. he spoke about same-sex , president obama and his own health. -- -- >> how are you feeling? >> excellent. >> you were in end stage heart failure. >> the transplant is nothing short of a miracle what it does for you. >> when you go that surgery you don't know if you are going to come out alive. >> that's one way to look at it, the pump was the toughest, i lost 40 pounds, heavily sedated in the intensive care unit for weeks after, i had pneumonia while i was in recovery from the surgery. by the time i came out from under, looked in a mirror and what i saw was my dad shortly before he died. this was four months ago. there's not been a single glitch, no sign of rejection, everything has gone perfectly. >> reporter: dick cheney is back, fiesty as ever. your overall assessment of president obama. >> obviously i'm not a big fan i think he's been one of

. >> michael finney has the details. >> luis bird is filling up his 2011 hyundai elantra. it is a sweet ride. he takes good care of it and keeps close track of it too. look at this little book. every time luis buys gas he writes how much he bought and how far he has gone. >> had about 26,000 miles i have an over all rating of 29.92. >> and that he says is the problem. look at the sticker that came with his car. city miles per gallon, 29. highway mpg, 40. the smaller print shows in the city, mileage could go as high as 34 miles per gallon. and highway, as much as 37mpg. >> my mileage is no where close. i tracked every gallon of gas i put in this car from when i got it. >> there is a lively debate on-line about how many miles per gallon the 2011 and 2012 elantras get. here is a video posted by usa today technology aren'ter jefferson graham. >> promises 29 to for 40 miles per gallon, but better than 22 miles. >> i got 22 miles per gallon average driving in the city and on the highway in this new elantra. call me disappointed, i am disappointed. >> hyundai has been making impr

finney. which of the new premeasured pods gets clothes cleanest? new study on the damage done to babies when women drink during pregnancy especially if they engage in a particular type of drinking behavior. those stories and more later today. >>> celebrating radio and show horses perform in the south bay. don sanchez has what's hot. >> the world premiere upright grand a music, poignant and funny opens in the lucy stern theater. the 3nd san francisco jewish film festival the best of jewish cinema highlighting more than 5700 years of culture in bay area theaters. the 15th brave new voices international poetry slam the largest in the world finals saturday at oakland's fox theater. don sanchez, abc7 news. [captioning made possible by disney-abc domestic television] [cheering] meredi meredith: thank you. hello, everybody, and welcome to "millionaire." you know, there is a pledge at the post office that goes "neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night will deter our couriers from their appointed roun

all that and >> today at 4:00, michael finney shows the best video streaming services what you get when you pay for monthly subscriptions. then at 5, the new state law cracking down on spa services that cross the line performing medical treatments that can be dangerous. those stories and more on abc7 news at 4 and 5. >>> garlic festival, dancing cows and pixar in concert there's lots to do this weekend. >> arts and entertainment reporter don sanchez has what's hot. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> final check on the weather. >> you can see well below average today and tomorrow if you like and warmer weather that's what we have port weekend away from the coast. 80 around the bay upper 80s inland not hot enough to turn on the air conditioner 90s close leave it up to eric to decide whether he wants to do that or not monday, tuesday, wednesday, low to mid 60s at the coast. >> why don't we try your ac and come to your house. >>> thank you for joining us. >> who wants to be a millionaire is next. our exclusive alarm clock app for the iphone download it for free. have a great day. [c ble by disney-abc dome

today at 4:00, michael finney heads to zumba class. he will have advice on how to keep you injury-free. then at 5, sentencing day for the first u.s. church official convicted of covering up sex abuse claims in the catholic church. those stories and more later today. >>> lighten the mood as we go. some zookeepers in china, i shouldn't say lightened up, the worldest biggest pedicure. >> given to the elephants in eastern china. toenails wear down quickly in the wild they could be infected. >> the workers use a tag team technique, one distracts the elephant with apples while the other cleans and files. in case you are won doering that file is almost two feet long. long. didn't paint [ male announcer ] if you're ready to get more from your tv service, now's a great time to get at&t u-verse tv. make the switch! [ megan ] call now to get at&t u-verse tv for only 29 a month for six months -- with a total home dvr included free for life. plus add hbo and cinemax and get the first three months free. [ male announcer ] with u-verse tv, you can re

finney shows the best video streaming services what you get when you pay for monthly subscriptions. then at 5, the new state law cracking down on spa services that cross the line performing medical treatments that can be dangerous. those stories and more on abc7 news at 4 and 5. >>> garlic festival, dancing cows and pixar in concert there's lots to do this weekend. >> arts and entertainment reporter don sanchez has what's hot. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> final check on the weather. >> you can see well below average today and tomorrow if you like and warmer weather that's what we have port weekend away from the coast. 80 around the bay upper 80s inland not hot enough to turn on the air conditioner 90s close leave it up to eric to decide whether he wants to do that or not monday, tuesday, wednesday, low to mid 60s at the coast. >> why don't we try your ac and come to your house. >>> thank you for joining us. >> who wants to be a millionaire is next. our exclusive alarm clock app for the iphone download it for free. [ suspenseful music plays ]

michael finney is here now with days consumer news. >> let's -- lead in candy. california department of public health warning consumers not to eat gold plum candy imported from taiwan. tests is kinding it contains dangerous levels of lead. it is sold in six-pound package, there it s it has black, green and orange stripes. the candy has various characters on the wrapping. the health department is working with the distributor to get it off the shelves. consumers in possession of the candy should get rid of it. >> you can try to take the back to the store. most stores are pretty good about giving back your money. >> the candy sold in small asian and ethic markets throughout california. >> get ready to spend more money on traffic. airlines raising ticket prices again. this is after a period brought on by falling fuel prices. several big airlines matched an increase of fares up to $10 per round trip. watchers believe this will stick since so many airline as dopted costs. this is the fourth fare increase this year. >> the good news is that the worth of your house is g

i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >> coming up next, a horse show comes trotting into the bay area. it's pure stage theatrics on horseback. hmm, it says here that cheerios helps lower cholesterol as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios >> the white tents are up in san jose but it's not a circus under that big top. the stars of this show are horses. 49 of them. they arrived yesterday for the san jose premiere of cavalia, a magical encounter between human and horse. some people were lucky enough to get an up-close look. it features 11 breeze of horses, 37 riders and a host of acrobats, dancers and musicians from around the world. the horses are so valuable and so precious, they will have around-the-clock security during their stay in the south bay. the san jose performances run from july 18th to august 5th. >> it is 6:57. before we go, one last check of the local weather so you can plan your saturday in the bay area. >> we are locking at sunshine but it will take a while. mist and drizzle starts out. only 59

i'm michael finney, 7 on your side. >> yesterday was such a beautiful day. i hope more for today? >> yeah. if you enjoyed yesterday i think you will enjoy today. in fact it will be a little warmer in some locations. we will take you outside and show you how we are starting off the day with a very similar pattern. look at the low clouds right over the bay bridge right there. and we've got widespread low clouds over most of the bay area. we will check out live doppler 7 hd doing a sweep, and it's quiet. but there are areas ever drizzle, especially along the coast. carolyn and i both had to use our wipers this morning in san francisco. as we check out the temperatures right now, 60 degrees in antioch but everyone else in the 50s. 53 in san francisco more their noners right now heading along the embarcadero. and also as we head farther south we will find mid-50s, as well. 56 currently in santa cruz and watsonville. so we've got low clouds once again, coastal drizzle. sound familiar? then sunny and warmer today. a few degrees warmer in a couple locks, mainly interior areas, and then ge