in novato, don ford, cbs 5. >>> and some breaking news for you now. chopper 5 is over san francisco and this protest because we are told that at least 100 demonstrators demanding what they are calling corporate accountability are on the move. they say that the government has focused too much on helping big businesses at the expense of the poor. this protest started in union square and they have now marched to the financial district. and that corner there. they were in front of the hyatt hotel and charles schwab. now they are in front of a wells fargo branch. so far it's been peaceful but we are told in the last five minutes, police have arrived on the scene although from that picture, it's hard to see the police presence and exactly what they are doing but we'll keep an eye on the breaking news in san francisco. >>> at a time when many are cutting back, this. >> i feel honored, lucky, proud. i'm ecstatic. it's like i won the lottery. >> why one bay area fire department is ready to hire. >>> from the cbs 5 weather center, good evening, everybody. now,

don ford got another perspective tonight, one that very few of us will ever see. >> reporter: a rare invitation from caltrans to visit the new bay bridge. with special escorts we were headed to the top of the new 525-foot tall tower nearly 50 stories high. to get there first we had to travel under the span on open walkways, hundreds of feet above the bay. take two elevators bolted on the side of the unfinished tower and to top the newly installed catwalks stretched in four directions waiting for the new cables to be installed, cables that eventually will comprise of more than 18,000 miles of steel wire. caltrans spokesman bart may also says the last big pieces have arrived. >> we have a steel transport ship that has recently arrived carrying our final deck segment. >> reporter: those final segments will go here connecting the suspension section with a causeway. the new bay bridge is supposed to be open in 2013, six months early. 22 years late. on the oakland bay bridge, don ford, cbs5. >>> it was $60,000 a year the san jose could -- that san jose could no longer afford. those free pl

don ford, cbs 5. >>> if a part in your car is defective, would you expect the manufacturer to step up and fix it? right? wrong. on the consumerwatch julie watts explains why and how one consumer learned the hard way. >> reporter: no one expects their car to be problem-free, right? but you do expect manufacturers to notify you about defects. well, it turns out that rarely happens. >> this is my like fourth chevy that i have owned. >> reporter: for charles, chevy is more than the heartbeat of america. it's the automaker he has depended on for years. all that changed the day this truck began making strange sounds. >> click, click, click, click. when you first start it up it would go away. >> reporter: a mechanic explained the noise was due to defective cylinder heads. >> the heads got a hole in it would leak antifreeze into the oil and then you lose your lubrication and you get lifters and rods wearing. >> reporter: needless to say it was a big deal and cost charles $4,500. but what's worse, chevy knew about the defective part four years ago and never issued a recall. instead, it sent a

in oakland, don ford, cbs 5. >>> drugstores already sell a broad range of healthcare products. now the nation's largest drugstore chain wants to sell health insurance too. sources say walgreens will offer a variety of coverage through a private health insurance exchange. walgreens would not confirm or deny the plan. analysts say walgreens is part of a wave of new businesses that will offer health insurance in light of health reform laws that take effect in 2014. >>> a new breed of volunteers can be found working with patients at a bay area medical center. dr. kim mulvihill joins us to explain. hi, kim. >> reporter: hey, liz. we are talking about dogs. now, the aztecs believed dogs were spiritual guides that possessed magical powers to help ease human pain. one bay area hospital shows the aztecs had it right. at kaiser permanente hospital in vallejo, with a wet nose and well manicured paw, an unusual team of therapists meets in the lobby. each one sports an official badge. and each one is ready to begin a little therapeutic magic. >> when the dogs go into the room, something del

. >>> i'm don ford at the caldecott tunnel. it's been a year since they started construction on the fourth bore. how are they doing? i'll have the story coming up. >>> the east coast rattled by an earthquake. people ran into the streets, phone lines were jammed. late we are get some perspective from bay area natives who were there as it all went down. ,, >>> right now fire crews are battling a brush fire in sonoma county. we have chopper 5 over it so these are live pictures of what's happening right now. these flames burning near the armstrong redwood state natural reserve. cal fire says that this fire is pretty much holding at about 60 acres. however, it's been hot, warm, windy conditions could cause it to spread. several aircraft making water drops to help contain the flames tonight. >>> budget problems could mean a shorter academic year for some contra costa schools. to save money, the mount diablo district wants teachers to agree to furlough days in their new contract. ann notarangelo is in concord, where the teachers union

. >>> i'm don ford in san jose. why are firefighters allowing this to happen in a park? i'll have the story coming up. ,,,,,, [ female announcer ] at jcpenney, it's easy to create a new look for back to school with all arizona jeans on sale! night and day doorbusters make it simple -- the best styles and washes are under $20! so it's easy to have fun with flares... ...get back to basics... ...or slip into some skinnies! on top of that, with jcp cash, earn 10, 15 or 20 dollars off on the spot. no exclusions! unlike other stores, we don't make you come back to save! go to jcp.com to see everything on sale. we make back to school style affordable. you make it yours. jcpenney. today. >>> a perfect storm of pessimism and panic triggered another freefall on wall street. the dow started the day at 11,410 and quickly plummeted at one point blue chips falling as much as 528 points. the dow ended the day down nearly 420, or 3.7%. it closed below 11,000 again. the nasdaq lost 131, the s&p 53. why? discouraging economic reports from around the world leading to even more concerns we

more than a dozen bay area stores but as don ford reports, these upgrade are meeting resistance. >> reporter: when mervyns went out of business, many shopping centers were left with large abandoned spaces that safeway now wants to take over. >> the economy has made it so there are some retail spaces that are available. we're taking advantage of them and thus far, the response has been very positive. >> reporter: pleasant hill neighbors are welcoming safeway. >> well, when i found out that safeway was coming here, i got pretty excited. >> this was a big store. i'm surprised it's lasted this long. empty. because this is -- they have great parking. and for safeway that's going to be great. >> reporter: and employment, too. >> oh, yeah, definitely. i may even look for a job working nights here. >> reporter: but safeway's takeover of shuttered businesses doesn't end here. in the south bay, safeway just cut a deal to take over this former sears store at san antonio plaza and to that, safeway just opened a store in campbell at another former mervyns site. and next year, an old mervyns in p

don ford takes us there. >> reporter: the movie "rise of the planet of the apes" showcases the bay area featuring scenes stretching from san francisco to golden gate bridge and into muir woods. the real muir woods has been a draw since the movie's release a few weeks ago. >> we definitely have zone a lot of interest in where caesar has his tree and people who might not have coming to the redwoods or muir woods are telling us they got the idea after sizing "rise of the planet of the apes." >> reporter: attendance at the national monument has hit more than 5,000 people a day. some are here to soak in the natural beauty. >> everybody is ready for their walk? >> reporter: others are looking for the location in the movie. many scenes were depicted here in muir woods, but no cameras entered the park. instead the location scout and production manager came with a still camera. armed with still photographs, they recreated all the muir woods scenes and many others entirely with computer graphics. >> computerized apes. but it looked real. >> they made it look really realistic and that shocked me b

in novato, don ford, cbs 5. >>> keeping the peace in an east bay neighborhood. the road project that might need additional work to deal with the additional noise. >>> one of my favorite things, me. >> if you want to work upon an internet company you go viral. how one google job applicant made his case in a very big way. ,, ,, [ male announcer ] brace yourself for the big, bold taste of a subway® bbq pulled pork sub. tender, succulent slow-cooked pork with sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, all on freshly baked bread. subway. eat fresh®. out of the porous caverns of grout takes the right tools, but it also takes a gentle, caring touch. before you can deep clean, you learn to get a feel for its trouble spots. and hey, if you can't listen to grout, you can't truly know its wants...its needs...its dreams. ♪call 1-800-steemer. they're part of the caldecott tunnel's fourth bore project >>> proposed sound walls in the east bay are sparking a debate part of the caldecott tunnel's fourth bore project to ease congestion on highway 24 in oakland. the two walls would cut d

don ford gives us a look from the top of the cat walk. >> rare invitation from caltrans to visit the new bay bridge. with essential escorts, we were headed to the top of the new 525-foot tower. nearly 50 stories high. to get there, first we had to travel under the span on open walkways. hundreds of feet above the bay. take two elevators bolted to the side of the unfinished tower and on top, the newly installed cat walk stretched in four directions, waiting for the new cable to be installed. cables that eventually will comprise of 18,000 miles. caltrans spokesman also says the last big pieces have arrived. >> we have a steel transport ship that has recently arrived carrying our final deck segment. >> those final segments will go here, connecting the suspension section with a causeway. the new bay bridge is supposed to be open in 2016. on the oakland bay bridge, cbs 5. >>> an opera commemorating a tragedy and profiling a hero. how september 11 became that opera and how you can see it in the debut. >> the storm that stopped the national guard nits tracks has come and gone. we'll take a

and then don ford if we can get a shot of -- oh, geez, a big hole. there is a big hole in the roadway, and that's where the last pieces of the bridge will be going. they arrived here yesterday from china, 5,000 pounds and they are going to be stuck in there in the next several months. so we are getting a look here at what's the new bay bridge will look like when the lights go on. it will look like the cable, the self-standing suspension bridge, the world's biggest, and the lights will give you an idea about what it's going to look like. they say they are going to be done in the fall of 2013. that's 6 months early. and 22 years late. allen? >> absolutely. when do you that kind of math. mike, care. , don't step in any holes in the road. >> reporter: i'm standing still. >> thought we lost you the first time. don't want to lose you permanently. mike, take care, be careful, see you at 6:00. >> keep on that hard hat. >>> it could take another week before a fire outside yosemite national park is finally out. as of now the fire is about one- third contained.

we asked don ford to explain how this new technology works. >> reporter: since the san bruno pipeline explosion, pg&e has has been looking at new ways to do a better job detecting gas leaks. today, three different companies compete for pg&e's business showing off first of its kind aerial gas detection technologies. two of them uses lasers attached to helicopters. >> this is a first-of-its-kind study in a gas industry where we're evaluating and assessing different types of laser technologies to help us detect indication of a gas leak on our gas transmission lines. >> reporter: here's how this works. helicopters fly over pipelines scanning them with lasers which will detect if natural gas is present. this person says the technology is extremely sensitive. >> what that means is if you had a million ping pong balls in that square meter, i could find two of them. >> reporter: one canadian company uses satellite technology repurposed to use sunlight instead of lasers. >> as the sunlight passes through a gas it picks up the colors of that particular gas so our instrument is capable of detect

three people are being treated for serious injuries after an accident involving an ac don sit. investigatings say a ford torr race -- the driver was the only person on the bus and not injured. >>> its hit a snag. ktvu kraig debro is live until oakland to tell us about a special meeting that is taking place today. >> reporter: there will be a special meeting and a staff recommendation but the staff recommendation is no different than it was back in late july when the mtc voted in the first place to move to san francisco. the meet willing be held here at commission headquarters. they already voted 12-2 to move into the city. that's when they stepped in to say the vote violated the state law on open meetings. this building is where the mtc wants to go. by the end of next year the mtc and the bay conservation and development commission would rock wave. mtc would intent for -- the mtc runs the bay area toll authority. it violated the brown act the open meetings law. a state senator wants to hold committee hearings on whether they can use toll money to buy and renovate the building i

it slammed into don casper on august 14th killing him. a nearby surveillance camera video taped the truck but did not get a license plate. the first officer on the scene that day has a mazage for the driver. >> consider what you would do if a family member or friend of yours had been struck down like this and the rest of their friends and families wanted this person found. they want to know what happened. come forward. say something. don't hide. >> one driver at last nights check point remembers seeing the vehicle. authorities believe the truck has right front damage. >>> the city of oakland about to host the world premier of the major movie based of the oakland ark seas. >> there is rich teams and then there is poor teams. then there is 50 feet of crack and then there is us. >> and then there is brad pitt. he plays billy bean in the movie money ball. the premier is september 19th. we don't know yet if brad pitt will be there but pam cook says it's okay. it's based on the 2002 baseball season when billie bean started using saber metrics t

a four-door white ford 150 pick up with gold trim. it slammed into 63-year-old san francisco attorney don casper on august 14th. a nearby surveillance camera video taped the truck but did not get a license plate. >> we have done the whole nine yards so far. >> one motorist at the check point does remember seeing the vehicle. authorities believe the truck has right front damage. >>> the fresno superintendent of schools says it's up to everyone to pitch in and help schools. larry powell is giving back more than a quarter million dollars of his salary. he says he's financially secure enough to do his job and take home just $32,000 a year. >> i have a great retirement. i've had a great life the community has given to me an awful lot. how about giving something substantial back. so that is what we are doing. >> powell say there is is one catch though. he gets to decide how the money is spent. and he wants it to help pay for preschool and art programs in the schools that are in danger of being eliminated. >>> irene may be gone but she left

and don rumsfeld. it's staggering to think the picture was taken in 1975. >> he had a lot of hair. he doesn't look like himself. >> i mean the sweep of history and events that occurred. >> dick cheney doesn't look like himself or act like he did back then. he was a moderate republican. he was bob dole. you know, it was such a different party. the party of rick perry, with the words we have been listening to this morning. >> the foreign policy mainstream. one of the things we now know from his book is he advocated a strike on syria and on the times nuclear facility. two more military conflicts if he had been -- >> dr. strange love. >> he was thinking about canada. >> italian villa. >> thanks very much. vice president cheney sits down for an exclusive interview airing this monday on "dateline." the vice president will be live here on "morning joe" next thursday. >>> coming up, the labor groups backing up their support of the democratic party? we're going to talk to jimmy hoffa. next, the yankees make a b

don casper was killed august 14 while jogging on river road. investigators are searching for a white ford f-150 truck. it's like this one. it's a four-door super crew model. it has a gold stripe along the bottom. there's a $12,000 reward. the tipline number 707-588-5023, and the extension is 238. you can also get that number and much more information about the case by going to our channel 2 website ktvu.com. just look under web links. >> keeping a close eye on several areas. >>> still very slow because of an earlier crash on 880. things are moving along much better. i think people heard about the crash, too, and it's friday. i'm pretty happy by how much has improved. take a look at the bay bridge toll plaza. you can tell much lighter volume. that did help us out. if you're driving on the freeways on the east shore in vallejo, the traffic there is moving along nicely. let's go to rosemary. >> afternoon highs will be warming up. the fog, the clouds and you can see some sunshine above that low cloud deck and beginning to burn it off. we will see s