francisco general hospital. she is in critical condition. her two children have been united with her father who was not here at the moment. we are told that she actually does live in this neighborhood. we do know that the father and the two children have since gone on to san francisco general hospital and they are with her right now. what they are trying to figure out is the relative health of this tree. we are told that it had been asessi assessed by the city arborist and deemed safe in 2010. we'll have further details coming up at 6:00. and continuing on through our following newscast as well. live in san francisco, i'm sergio quintana, abc 7 news. >> thank you very much. and breaking news in santa clara county, striking court employees and county officials reached a tentative deal to end a strike. >> the union leaders will ask workers to approve a new contract and they will vote on the new pack this weekend and if they ratify it they will return to work on monday. >> hundreds of clerks and other court workers began strike last wednesday to demand raises as part of the new contract. many court cases have been delayed and people have not been able to file routine paperwork due to the walkout. >> and hacking in san jose and not the high-tech kind. tree after tree after tree. the search is on for whoever is chopping down young trees in the south bay. why would someone do this. 46 trees have been sawed down in two separate incidents on meridian avenue and dry creek road in san jose's willow glenn neighborhood. david louie is there live to show you the damage. david? >> dan, you could see it for yourself. this is one of 23 more trees that have been cut along meridian avenue. but the work done by somebody -- some people who are dubbing a tree terrorist. now this apparently happened earlier this week and was discovered by volunteers who came by here to water them. rhonda berry estimates it took half an hour to cut these 23 trees. each one cut half way up the trunk. she is the president of the nonprofit group "our city forest" and they hoped to beautify and clear pollution from the air. >> this isn't good for the community. it is not good for the volunteers that helped plant the trees. it is not good for the quality of life here. and it is not a good example to set for your children. >> reporter: this is the second time the trees have been vandali vandaliz vandalized. just over two weeks ago another 23 were cut in half on the opposite side of the street creating an emotional response from neighbors in willow glenn. >> i'm seeing the trees hacked, and it is very disappointing for the people in the community. >> reporter: it was a city council member who funded the planting of the trees, taking the $25,000 out of his office budget and there is a campaign underway to replace the trees through the nonprofit our city forest. >> i will allocate another portion of my office budget to this project if there is not enough funds to do it through donations. >> he said security cameras will dallas be installed to stop future vandalism and offering a $5,000 reward to find the culpr culprit. at the nursy operated by our city forest, volunteers are not discouraged. >> no, it doesn't discourage us. if only -- it only pushes us to do more and push more positivity into silicon valley. >> reporter: in san jose, david louie. abc 7 news. more than two dozen people now need a place to live while work is being done to fix their homes. damaged in a traffic accident in brentwood city. the impact from the crash weakened part of a five-unit apartment building on chest knit street. a car was shoved into the building around 10:15 this morning. >> unable to occupy until the owner and the contractor could repair it. >> we are concerned about the wiring and the gas lines damaged. >> here is another look at the scene from sky 7. the driver of the car went to hospit hospital after getting hurt. that accident still under investigation. and sky 7 was busy over fremont after a pickup truck backed into a denny's restaurant. fremont fire department tweeted that a passenger said the truck was, quote, spinning out of control. police told the driver -- or told us that the driver backed out of a parking space in a lot and across the street and officers wanted the dmv to test him beforing allowed to drive again and an employee was hurt. police have arrested a 26-year-old man with a home invasion and attempted sexual assault of a woman in oakland. you see it on the map. eric thomas is live at oakland police department headquarters with more on the how the housing authority plans to respond to this. eric? >> reporter: and dan, the attacker appears to have picked the wrong victim in the wrong neighborhood. she fought back, the police got there in time, and the housing authority is going to implement some needed security improvements. oakland housing authority crews were out this afternoon changing the shattered bedroom window on the apartment where the break-in happened. >> we're horrified when this kind of break-in and violence in any of our neighborhoods. >> this is the lockwood 250 public housing unit not far from the coliseum. police got a 911 call just after 4:00 this morning from neighbors who heard a woman screaming and officers got there while the assault was still in progress. >> and we did actually hear the woman, officers did hear the woman and did observe the suspect still in the residents. >> he did try to escape, the hard way. >> actually kicked through the bedroom window. >> reporter: it didn't help. he was quickly caught. the victim suffered moderate injuries and was sent to hospital. several neighbors heard the screaming but didn't want to talk to us on camera. meantime the housing authority own police force which used to patrol 18 hours aday will now work around the clock. >> we intend to extend the hours and the number of patrols in the neighborhood. >> reporter: and meantime the police department is investigating whether the suspect is wanted for other simil similar crimes. in oakland, eric thomas, abc 7 news. san francisco police are taking a fresh look at a murder that took place a decade ago. abc 7 news was at grove and baker streets as the police chief toney chaplin took part in a prayer circle with a mother of 17-year-old aubrey abcasa, he was shot and killed on the same corner. police have not arrested anyone even though they've had suspects but now they have assigned a cold case investigators to work on solving in case. >> to see if there was anything that was overlooked or anything that technology has caught up to that we didn't have the technology for ten years ago, that we might have today. >> ten years later, i still cry and i still hurt and still in pain and i shouldn't be doing this. >> police are offering a $250,000 reward in the case. the family of a budding san francisco chef found dead at the westfield mall in san francisco is in town today, retracing his last steps trying to understand this. he was discovered in a private stairwell. melanie woodrow spoke with his brother today and she is live with the story. >> reporter: well, dan, you could imagine the range of emotions for the family. they are not only devastated, they are also desperate for information and that is what brought them here to this alley where they discovered first-hand that anyone can get out of this closed private stairwell where frank's body was found from inside of the mall. this was not the trip that frank's family planned. he was the line cook here. >> he is from boston and didn't give us an option and said he would show up in two days and showed up and we hired him right on the spot. >> he was just getting on his feet in the city and invited his brothers from los angeles to come visit for a meal. >> they loved him. his technique and work ethic. >> reporter: on wednesday he didn't show up for work. that morning a maintenance worker discovered his body in this private stairwell connected to the westfield mall. the police department is calling his death a homicide. >> it is a violent death of a friend who is young. >> knowing what happened is what we need to know. >> reporter: the deep desire to know brought louis here. >> trying to gather any kind of information from his perspective. >> it is a cocktail of emotion. anger and sadness. anxiety. frustration. >> louis held the door open for two men and minutes later they exited the private stairwell where frank was found. a security guard looked out shortly after. the men told lewis, they got into the stairwell through the mall food court. >> just coming here, makes me want to dig deeper and hoping that san francisco police department is on it because something has to be done. >> reporter: he is hopeful one of the many surveillance cameras picked up something. >> somebody must have seen something and we need help. >> reporter: in san francisco, melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. stay here with us. today marks the beginning of the end of a long process. a ground-breaking today for a new kind of high school. >> dine thinking gives them this mindset of optimism. plus the push to save the world's elephants. >> and the tattoo that could control your connected devices. no kidding. and -- >> i'm abc 7 news meteorologist sandhya patel, temperatures on the rise today. i'll show you how much hotter it will get. your weekend forecast is coming up. i'm michael fin california's clean air laws are working. we've cut toxic pollution. we're seeing fewing cases of asthma in kids. and the new clean energy economy has created more than half a million jobs. i'm tom steyer. just when we're making progress, the oil companies are trying to weaken our clean air laws. but we can stop them. send them a message. we're going to protect our kids - not their profits. ♪ it has never been done before, a sill von valley corporation will build a high school on its campus to help train the future generations of techies and engineers. oracle will build the design tech high school on its campus in the shores. lyanne melendez has the story. >> reporter: at the time, it seemed impossible. it seems crazy. >> that is how the people closest to larry ellison reacted when he shared his idea of having a school on the oracle campus. that dream finally materialized more than 17 years later. the land was donated and the building for the design tech high school will be paid for by orac oracle. >> design thinking is a way to solve a problem. >> problems like global warming. before oracle gets the credit, we should clarify the concept and the model of the school already existed. the school had been operating in burging game since 2013 which wh it got the attention of the oracle education fund. oracle knew it had to be part of the new way of teaching. modelled after stanford's school of design. >> and so we were just extraordinarily lucky to be around at the moment of the evolution of this remarkable school. >> oracle offers us cool technology classes that get the kids in my school involved in technology that they wouldn't normally do at an average high school. >> the school wants to attract more students of color and girls. while it is open to anyone, families living in the san mateo and sequoia union high school district would have priority. >> if there are more registrants than places in a given year, there is a blind lottery. >> the school will open on the oracle campus in september of 2017. the first lesson will be to design a future where everything can possible. in redwood city, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. more than 3000 children will have the back to school tools they need for success thanks to the generosity of others. abc 7 news was at sacred heart community services when youngsters picked out backpacks. they give out school supplies at the end of every summer. oregons tell us they gave more -- organizers gave away 3300 backpacks to low him come children and it is the charity's biggest giveaway ever. residents are back in homes after a brief scare. this is a chemical cloud rising out of the back of a waste management garbage cluck. it prompted a shelter in place. it happened during a trash pick up at knewton court in fremont. fire officials gave the all clear shortly before 11:00 this morning. the san francisco zoo is taking a stand against the sale of ivory. abc 7 news was near the rhino exhibit as they asked visitors to sign a pledge against the ivory trade. they are doing it as part of world elephant day. it is estimated that 1 hundel fants are killed every year -- 100 elephants are killed. the city is the second largest market for ivory sales. >> ivory jewelry is considered lucky. and we have to make the connection as they pointed out earlier that it isn't lucky. each little ivory trinket comes with a cost of a magnificent animal. >> conservationists want consumers to avoid buying antique ivory to reduce demand of jewelry and art work made from that precious material. >> we have a reminder that track maintenance will mean no track service between daly city this weekend. free shuttles will take riders in between but plan ahead because it could add an hour to your trip if you are going to sfo or millbrae. >> transit has launched a safety app called tip now that lets riders report nonnew jersemerge thefts and they decide how to handle the report. the app will undergo a one-year pilot program. >> folsom lake is once again at disturbingly low water levels. tens of billions of gallons of water have been pumped out of the lake in recent months. the bureau of reclamation is release thousands of cubic feet every second in water deliveries to people in farm land. the bureau is also supplying water to safe endangered fish. on july 1st, the lake was at 73% capacity and thanks to a pretty powerful el nino, today it is at 42%. >> and a reservoir in the central valley is in even more dire straits. these are photos from the media partners at the bay area newsroom. this reservoir is only 10% full and the lowest in 27 years on april 1st it peaked at 52%. the reservoir is facing similar challenges to folsom lake. water is being released to help california save endangered salmon but it is pretty bleak there. >> and no rain in sight. but we do have is a spare the air day again. >> and sandhya patel is here with the weekend forecast. the air quality will continue to suffer and the weekend will include another spare the air for tomorrow. right here behind me, i'm seeing blue skies but as i look to the north and east there is fog, looking to the south, a bit on the hazy side. let's check out live doppler 7 hd. we have our summer microclimate today. upper 50s to the mid 90 the for the highs so far and the fog is sitting near the coast right now on live doppler 7 hd. notice the temperatures have come up but a few degrees but the highest santa rosa 13 degrees warmer than yesterday at this time. from the south beach camera, some fog in the distance. 62 in san francisco. 69 in oakland. you are in the mid to upper 70s, mountain view and san jose, morgan hill 81 degrees and a beautiful view from our abc 7 news exploratorium camera at pier 15. you notice the blue skies with the gentle breeze. 85 in santa rosa. 76 in napa. low to mid 90 frs fairfield to livermore and live look from santa cruz. now the smoke from the soberanes fire in monterey county is impacting this area. you could see how hazy it is and we are going to deal with the morning fog tomorrow. afternoon heat inland with a spare the air alert again tomorrow. hot pattern continues through next week. as you take a look at the walnut creek camera and you could see the hazy skies and that is why we have another spare the air alert for saturday and moderate for the bay area and it is really the smog with the heat that is going to be a concern for your saturday. tomorrow morning, starting out mild in most areas except the north bay, valleys drop down to the low 50s. rest of you mid 50 toss low 60s and as you take a look at the hour by forecast, you see exactly where the fog is going to be sitting. right near the beaches and near the bay at 7:00 a.m. so if you are an early riser, do expect pockets of poor visibility around the east bay and the entire coastline. then for the afternoon, some fog hangs around near the beaches to keep you company. hot inland and seasony really for the -- sunny for the rest of the bay area. if you want to check out the perseid meteor shower and didn't catch it during the peak last night, we are expecting 40 to 80 per hour and we're past the peak but the best viewing is midnight to dawn and view northeast and along the coast and parts of the bay, it is dicey because of the fog. highs through saturday, 98 more an hill, 88, 74 in santa cruz on the peninsula 81 redwood city and 77 in san mateo, low 60s coast side like today and daly city 60 degrees and north bay you will see the triple-digits around lake port and ukiah, 80 vallejo. and the east bay mid-70s and berkeley and oakland and inland spots it is hot. 96 in livermore. 98 antioch and 95 walnut creek. your accuweather seven-day forecast, hot inland and upper 90s there. low 60s coastside. slightly cooler on sunday but don't tell that to people inland. mid to upper 90s next week and wednesday triple-digits inland and it is sizzling. low to mid-90s on thursday and friday and the coastal spots nice and comfortable, in the low to mid-60s all week. and in the seven-day forecast, around the bay, it is quite pleasant as well. so our summer microclimate coming up for the weekend, just pick and choose. >> thanks. >> something for everyone. from a few laps to a few miles, it is finney's friday free stuff and then on world news. >> breaking news, a horrific trash on an american highway, a tractor-trailer crashing into a van with a ma'am driving members of a sports team. and severe turbulence and dozens rushed to the hospital, right after abc 7 news. >> thank you. and a piece of luggage that will literally move you. new at 6:00, we'll give you an up close look at the moto bag. it is part suitcase and part you're next tattoo could be functional as well as a work of art. microsoft has partnered up with m.i.t. to create a tattoo that could control your connected devices. it applied with a wet wash cloth and could turn your body into touch pads, and bluttons and evn glowing l.e.d. displays. it could allow you to swipe and tap around your phone music and unlock doors or turnstiles. deep fried twinkies are jumping from the county fair to your freezer. hostess launched in collaboration with walmart to increase foods. the snack cake is bigger than before they filed for bankruptcy four years ago. they are making a comeback. >> that is an invention. great time of the week. we love to end on a high night. >> and that is right. finney's friday free stuff. and the bay area bike chair. you have seen the blue bicycles, we'll give you a free weekend of riding them around or 24 hours. let me show you what i'm talking about in case they are not one in rain shower area. they are 35 stations in san francisco and 18 in san jose and 7 in mountain view and five palo alto and have 700 bikes and within two years they will have 7,000. you get unlumitied 30-minute rides for 24 hours and that means you could ride it for 30 minutes and then check it back in and so you could ride from location to location which it is made for. it is a $9 value that you won't pay a dime. download the mobile app to see where the lotion i-- the locatin is. and we'll give you the information go to abc7news.com. and the san jose improv, do you like a good time and comedy, the improv, they have it all going on. you'll receive two free tickets. they are located in downtown san jose on second street. you probably passed them by. they are good for a wide vary the of shows and dates. you could pick which shows you would like to attend and the first is on august 16th and the last on october 23rd so you have a lot of time to figure it out. it is a $50 value and you want to get in on this. you don't want to take a date out and act like you spent the money yourself when you haven't. so we are giving you a bite to get there and a free show. what more can we do. >> the rest is up to the couple. you can't do any more more them, michael. >> what do we do. >> let me tell you. go online or call this number, 800-546-7177. >> that is it. all right. perfect. thank you. >> from burning man to b.a.r.t., the new sculpture with a storied past. >> that story when abc 7 news at 5:00 continues. >> when it happens where you live -- >> the abc 7 news team covers your neighborhood. >> choose the news that matters where you live. choose the team that works california's clean air laws we've cut toxic pollution. we're seeing fewing cases of asthma in kids. and the new clean energy economy has created more than half a million jobs. i'm tom steyer. just when we're making progress, the oil companies are trying to weaken our clean air laws. but we can stop them. send them a message. we're going to protect our kids - not their profits. ♪ coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00, local restaurants ask for help. why the man on the right of your screen is being called the serial refund scammer. >> and also the crackdown about to begin to keep kids safe as they head back to school. >> and the skin scam, michael finney showss how to spot a c e compromised device. coming up at 6:00. a steel sculpture that lit a burning man is being installed in san leandro. >> it shows the first installment. the legs of truth and beauty but artist marco cochran. >> it is going up on the grounds of the tech campus, the 13,000 pound sculpture of a nude woman on tiptoes with her arms thrown up toward the sky. >> and it is expected to be finished by mid-october. >> world news tonight with david muir is next. i'm kristen zse. >> and i'm dan ashley. for all of us, we tonight, several breaking stories as we come on the air. the deadly flash floods. vehicles swept away. and now flood alerts from new mexico all the way up to new england. and now the heat. it will feel above 100 in much of the country this weekend. also breaking this friday night, a horrific crash on an american highway. a tractor-trailer crashing into a van. a mom driving members of a sports team. the two air emergencies. a deadly plane crash. investigators on the scene right now. and the midair scare -- jetblue passengers hitting severe turbulence. dozens rushed to the hospital. donald trump declaring president obama was the founder of isis. tonight saying he was being sarcastic. hillary clinton releasing her taxes, asking trump where are his? and the new polls out just