your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. good afternoon, i'm grace lee. >> i'm frank mallicoat. an armed robbery spree in contra costa county by people wearing odd masks, their targets stores and gas stations open late at night. anne makovec with the outrageous details that may tie the crimes together. >> scary. people are crazy nowadays. >> reporter: armed, masked and sometimes costumed men are robbing east bay stores that are open overnight here in walnut creek. six robbers including one dressed as a skeleton, another

dressed as a gorilla walked into this gas station at 3:30 a.m. yesterday brandishing guns and stealing cash, soda and cigarettes. the clerk was unharmed but one of the robbers shot at a customer pumping gas. how close did that bullet come? >> we don't know how close it came, but at the time of the shots, they were approximately 25 feet from each other. the customer took off running and he was not injured. >> reporter: they took off in a dark colored volkswagen parked nearby. 24 hours before that robbery, three masked men one dressed as a skeleton walked into this 7- eleven in pleasanton hills. the owner of the 7-eleven showed me the footage there in the stores. you could clearly see three armed robbers walking into the store, then the clerks dodging into the bathroom. the three armed robbers left seconds after with nothing in hand. police say this week's crimes are among about a dozen in contra costa county within the past few weeks including five in antioch with similar methods

of operation. >> a large group of people coming in, taking over the business with masks and how they're ordering and what they're asking for. >> reporter: law enforcement officials and the fbi are meeting today to compare notes as businesses and customers hope the robbers are caught. >> walnut creek seems to be like a place where, like, kids want to come to rob people, you know? like they go, let's just go over to walnut creek, they won't be expecting it, catch them off guard or something. >> reporter: in contra costa county, anne makovec, cbs 5. >> police also searching for an armed vandal who took aim at an a.c. transit bus in emeryville overnight. now, this is the second time this year that this has happened. and while no one was hurt this morning, stephanie chuang reports that the shooting has left a lot of riders shaken. >> scary. i ride the bus every day with my 3-year-old, 2-year-old babies. >> reporter: linda grant was shocked to hear about the pellet gun shooting of a a.c. transit bus just after midnight

in emeryville. it hit the window but no passenger was hurt. the target, bus line 72 which grant says she has to take sometimes late at night with her 2-year-old son. >> if a bb gun hit him or a bullet he's not going to survive. >> it's shocking. it makes me fear for my safety. >> living in fear isn't the way to go. >> reporter: in february another a.c. transit bus was targeted by real gunfire in north richmond. a 16-year-old was hit by the shattered window glass. bus drivers then refused to drive through the area without protection so contra costa county sheriff's deputies escorted the buses from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. for a -- from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. for about a week. that option is on the table after today's shooting. >> we find out that there's been significant increase in crime in the area against the buses, then we would escort the buses through to make them safer. >> reporter: why someone wants to do this is unclear. some think it was just a prank but this was no joke. in fact, it's a felony.

>> it can cause the bus driver to swerve. you can cause all kinds of trouble when those things happen. it could cause very serious injuries or death. >> reporter: in emeryville, stephanie chuang, cbs 5. >> no arrests have been made but alameda county chefs investigators are reviewing -- sheriff's investigators are reviewing video from the camera on the bus and are checking area businesses for surveillance footage. in the trial of michael jackson's doctor, today the jury is getting a vivid description of the pop star's bedroom the day he died. kendis gibson has more now from los angeles. >> reporter: a bodyguard from michael jackson took the stand today at dr. conrad murray's trial. alberta alvarez says dr. conrad murray ordered him to stash medicine before calling 911 on the day michael jackson died. >> i proceeded to get the bag and i -- i opened it and he placed the vials in the bag. >> reporter: alvarez says murray also ordered him to remove a saline bag containing propofol from an iv stand before he called for help.

>> we have a gentleman here that needs help and he stopped breathing. >> reporter: dr. murray is accused of giving jackson an overdose of the anesthetic propofol but the defense claims it's the pop singer himself who administered the fatal dose. in court wednesday, murray's lawyers questioned why jackson's staff waited two months before telling police some details about the day he died. they are also trying to establish that jackson was dependent on powerful drugs before hiring dr. murray. >> when you took him to visit dr. arnold klein, he did often times leave the office looking -- did he often times leaving the office looking a little tipsy, a little intoxicated? >> yeah. >> reporter: the involuntary manslaughter trial is expected to last about a month. kendis gibson, cbs news, los angeles. if you are north of highway 20, stay out of the woods. that's the warning from the mendocino county sheriff's department for people in the mountains between fort bragg and willits.

they used automated phone messages to deliver that message. now, it came after a state forensics lab confirmed a fingerprint found in a burglarized cabin is that of aaron bassler. the 35-year-old is believed to have broken into other cabins in the area and one of them had a surveillance camera that took this picture of bassler carrying an assault rifle. >> we seem to be closing in on him at points. >> i'm scared. they will find him. he is scared so he is being sneaky. >> bassler is wanted for two killings in august. the victims were matthew coleman and fort bragg city councilman jere melo. new charges are being filed against six young men arrested for a san francisco murder. a criminal grand jury spent two months investigating the killing of a german tourist in august of last year. she was caught up in gunfire between rival gang members in the union square area. "the examiner" reports the original chargeses have all been dropped now and are being

replaced by the grand jury's indictment. a young soldier from napa has been killed in afghanistan. he died monday after being wounded in an ied explosion in the hellman province. the 21-year-old was assigned to fort riley, kansas. this was specialist garret fant's first appointment. bay area homeowners fed up with big banks and foreclosures hitting the streets today to march in san francisco's financial district in less than three hours from now. yesterday, a big group in oakland protested blight at those foreclosed homes. >> definitely if my front yard i'm leaving it at your front door. >> dozens cleaned up garbage from an abandoned home in east oakland. yesterday they piled it into banks and dumped the trash bags in the lobby. citibank and chase bank did not comment on the protests. wells fargo did respond to cbs 5, though, with this statement: " once we take ownership of foreclosed properties, we work diligently to manage them in a manner that benefits the

community until the home is sold to a new owner." pg&e is testing the safety of its pipelines today ain the east bay. crews will conduct hydrostatic pressure testing along three miles of pipe from berkeley to emeryville. the pipe will be monitored for eight hours as part of their effort to assess pipeline safety after last the san bruno explosion last year. more protests set for california's college campuses. professors, coaches, librarians are set to picket on november 17th at the east beltway and dominguez hills campuses to protest the decision to withhold their negotiated pay raises. a bad case of the stomach flu hits uc-santa cruz students during the first week of classes. the campus counted 26 cases in the first week of classes. a majority of the cases came from dorm students who all share the same dining hall. the campus is now working with county health services to identify possible be causes. >> not the way to start the school year. >> no fun. coming up, new unemployment

numbers are out. the impact that they are having on wall street this afternoon. >> and facebook facing new scrutiny. why two lawmakers want a federal probe of the social networking site. >> to have your daughter have to plead for her life, it's tough. >> an innocent girl crucified in the media? closing arguments begin in the amanda knox trial. hi, i'm meteorologist lawrence karnow in the cbs 5 weather center. low clouds and fog moved back onshore meaning cooler temperatures are on the way. we may have bigger changes than that coming. we'll talk about that coming up next. ,,

let's ring you up. mary? what are you doing here? it's megan. i'm getting new insurance. marjorie, you've had a policy with us for three years. it's been five years. five years. well, progressive gives megan discounts that you guys didn't. paperless, safe driver, and i get great service. meredith, what's shakin', bacon? they'll figure it out. getting you the discounts you deserve.

now, that's progressive. call or click today. i'm a curious seeker. i am a chemistry aficionado. diphenhydramine. magnesium hydroxide. atheletes foot. yes. i'm a people pleaser. if elected, i promise flu shots for all. i am a walking medical dictionary. congratulations virginia. inflamed uvula. i'm virginia. i'm a target pharmacist and i'm here to answer your questions. benefits last week. fewer americans applied for unemployment benefits last week and it's an encouraging sign that layoffs may be easing. the latest government figures show applications for jobless

benefits fell to the lowest level in five months. let's go live to the big board in new york and you can see the dow down slightly down 17 points at this hour. stocks just couldn't hold on to their earlier rally despite some encouraging news from europe. germany voted to expand the powers of europe's bailout fund. that vote reassured investors initially. but lawmakers are closer to a -- that lawmakers are getting closer to a solution. two lawmakers want a federal investigation into facebook's privacy practices. congressman ed markey of massachusetts and joe barton of texas say the social networking site is tracking what websites people visit even after users log out. they have asked the federal trade commission to look into facebook's business practices. facebook officials on the other hand say there is no security breach and that the website did not store information for logged-out users. there apparently is a slight shift in public opinion when it comes to california's death penalty. the new field poll released today found 68% support the death penalty, 27% oppose it

this year, 48% said they would prefer that someone convicted of first-degree murder serve life without the possibility of parole. 11 years ago only 37% would support that option. meanwhile, advocates for the developmentally disabled claim california is endangering that group in an effort to cut costs. a pair of advocacy groups filed suit against the state yesterday. they claim the state has illegally slashed services for hundreds of thousands of californians by reducing funding without required federal approval. closing arguments today under way in italy for the american woman accused of murdering her english roommate. >> amanda knox is expected to speak in her own defense as she attempts to overturn the guilty verdict. the former study abroad student has spent over 1,000 days behind bars for stabbing her british roommate to death four years ago. >> to have your daughter center to plead for her life is tough. [ crying ] >> knox is currently serving a

26-year prison sentence but prosecutors want that extended to life in prison. a verdict could come in as soon as monday. the top three highest paid actresses made $88 million last year. it's a good job. >> pretty good. who are they? we'll fill you in next. we all live in this community, we, you know, we share the same place and we should help each other out. >> an aentire medical team gives up a day -- gives up a day off and heads to the hospital. you will meet the patients benefiting from free surgery coming up. the fog is back moving in along the coastline, still hot in spots inland. but we have some rain in the forecast. we'll tell you when next. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

a whole lot of sunshine going on this week. >> we went for a walk. it's getting chilly around the bay area at least into san francisco along the coastline there is still some hotspots that you have to head inland today. you can expect to see a few 90s around the bay area. we are going to see more of that over the next couple of days, more fog. this is what we can expect as we head through the afternoon. yup, the cooldown has begun. the fog and low clouds made a return the cooling trend continuing well into the weekend and by this next week, there is a chance of some rain

back in the forecast. so we'll plan it out toward the afternoon. 70s and 80s toward the santa clara valley and not even as hot inland although you will still see temperatures in the low 90s. tonight low clouds and fog going to surge further onshore night bay so tomorrow morning we are waking up to a partly cloudy start but toward the afternoon we should see a little more sunshine. but the fog boy it is really surged up along the coastline. some of that shooting through the golden gate bridge. the trough is moving in. that means cooler weather on the way. patchy fog toward the zoo cool out there. 93 degrees in livermore and about 90 in concord. as we look out over the next couple of days, temperatures expected to cool down partly cloudy skies as we head in toward what looks like some

unsettled weather ahead as we head in toward monday and also into tuesday. doesn't look like things are going to stay unsettled right into the middle of this next week. by the way, rosh hashana continues and we are looking at some cool temperatures coastside. mostly sunny skies in the valleys. don't forget it's the raiders this weekend! we are going to find out whether it sold out or not, mostly sunny skies. 71 degrees the expected high at game time. that's the latest forecast. back to you. >> you sound excited about that game, lawrence. [ laughter ] >> all right. uninsured patients are getting the surgeries they need this thanks to a generous doctor on the peninsula. as kate kelly reports this week's jefferson award winner has been providing free care for more than 10 years. >> have you had surgery before? >> no. >> first time. >> first time. >> wow. >> reporter: and patient eric taulepa would still be waiting for surgery to fix his hernia if it wasn't for dr. john ngai and his volunteer team at the kaiser

permanente redwood city medical center. he helped organized this day of free surgeries for people without health insurance through the nonprofit, operation access. this all-volunteer effort will make a world of difference to eric, who hasn't been able to work at his shipyard job for almost a year. >> it's very painful and it's very hard sometimes. >> he is on disability waiting for an operation for months. so we take care of him, back to society, functional, productive. you can take care of little problems before they become huge problems, you save hundreds of thousands of dollars. >> reporter: today they are working on hernias, cataracts and outpatient knee repairs. he helps and recruit and organize operation access days at his hospital.

this saturday 20 colleagues from nurses to anesthesiologists are pitching in. >> i started asking everybody, they are all willing to help. when you ask, they automatically jump in. >> reporter: for 18 years, operation access has been bringing free specialty medical care to low income and uninsured people in the bay area. over 7500 patients have been treated in 33 different hospitals. but the success of the program depends on the generosity and the ongoing enthusiasm of healthcare professionals like dr. john ngai. he performed more than 100 of these surgeries four to five times a year and it takes a lot of coordination. but dr. ngai says it's the best feeling in the world. >> we all live in this community. we share the same place and we should help each other. i think that's probably what drives me to do this. >> reporter: for eric, after suffering for months, today means everything to his family. >> they very happy and last night they say a prayer for everybody to do a good job.

>> reporter: so for rallying his colleagues to provide top- notch medical care for patients in need, this week's jefferson award in the bay area goes to dr. john ngai. kate kelly, cbs 5. [ 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! [ female announcer ] call now to get at&t u-verse tv for only $29 a month for six months. hd-ready dvr included at no extra charge. plus get up to 182 channels with hbo and cinemax free for three months. [ male announcer ] u-verse tv lets you record up to four shows at once on a single dvr. and you can record and play back your shows from any room. even upgrade to over 170 hd channels. that's more than cable. [ female announcer ] call now to get at&t u-verse tv

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well, today's tip of the day is going to be is with valencia oranges. everyone week i like to do a tip of one of the items that we best buy and right now they are worth that, loaded with flavor, great price, and beautiful but you still need to select and store them right. when you buy them, make sure they are orange all the way. a little bit of greening on valencias is okay. more orange is better. one more thing, they have to be heavy for their size. if they are light they are full of pulp. you want the juice that makes it nice and heavy. when you bring them home, always store them here is the key now you have to store citrus on the counter all the time. never in the refrigerator. the cold temperatures will turn that beautiful juice into pulp and that you don't want. it will be dry and that doesn't taste good. let me show you something. when you juice one of these oranges, take a look at this. the juice just keeps coming out.

one or two oranges will probably give you a nice glass of orange juice. maybe three oranges. but either way, ah, the smell is incredible! and loaded, loaded with flavor and nutritional value. i'm tony tantillo, your fresh grocer. and this is your tip of the day. hey, it's good for you, these oranges. bye-bye. >> thank you, tony. coming up tonight, south bay police are gearing up for a funeral. tonight at 5:00, the procession officers are worried could turn violent. >> and the cost of using your debit card is going up for you bank of america customers out there. why the bank says a fee is necessary. those stories, and much more coming up at 5:00. tina fey and eva longoria top the list of highest paid actresses in hollywood. they brought in $13 million each between may of 2010 and may of 2011. rounding out the list, marsha cross and making $10 million

each, two other actresses. >> not bad. >> if you can get it. >> 10 mill a year. >> be able to make that top five? that's all right. >> i'll take the bottom. >> it's all good. have a great day.