. >> bankrupt company solyndra will pay a 3.5 million dollar settlement with it's employees. the settlement said they failed to properly tell about 1100 employees it was halting operations and shutting down. they closed their doors in august of last year and filed for bankruptcy about a month later. >> on the campaign trail today it was energy that became the lightning rod that divided the republicans and the democrats. craig boswell reports on how the two are ramping up the rhetoric as they move closer to their convention. >> reporter: at a coffee shop, visitors got more than just a customer. the president stopped in on his way to speak to supporters at a event. it's the second day a three day bus tour across the state where he is calling out his rivals. >> we have a whole lot of differences. >> reporter: after hitting the team on the economy and taxes the president slammed them on energy, specifically wind. >> he said that new sources of energy like wind are imaginary. his running mate called them a fad. >> reporter: romneya racking up the miles to making several stops in o

. >>> new jobs may be coming to fremont's solyndra plant. it's been vacant since solyndra went vacant last year. it was built with a federal loan guarantee. there's no word on the sale price, but the deal does need to be approved by a u.s. bankruptcy court. >>> it was a rough quarter for palo alto based hewlett- packard. in its earnings announcement, the company lost $9 billion in the quarter. hp is the world's largest maker of pc's, but is facing real challenges, because of slowing demand for personal computers. >>> on wall street, the dow industrials was down 30 points. but the nasdaq gained 6. investors seemed reassured later in the day when the federal reserve signaled an increased urgency about the need to boost the economy. >> go out and show the world who you are. >>> words of inspiration in a harsh world. how baseball, and a no nonsense approach are helping some high school [ laughter ] [ girl ] wow. you guys have it easy. i wish i had u-verse when i was your age. in my day, we didn't have these fancy wireless receivers. blah, blah,

. >>> new details about the price cupertino's c gate is offering for the solyndra building. the c gate company is the highest bidder at a little more than $90 million. solyndra paid $300 million to build the facility just a few years ago. >>> the federal trade comission cleared the way for facebook's acquisition of instagram. facebook announced plans in april to buy the san francisco company for $1 billion in cash and stock. with the drop in facebook share price, the deal is now worth about $750 million. facebook expects to close the deal by the end of the year. >>> south bay jurors completed their first full day of deliberations today. the jury got the case yesterday after extensive instructions from the judge. apple claims samsung copied apple's designs. samsung says it was apple that infor instanced on its patents. deliberations are expected to continue tomorrow. >>> continuing coverage, the fire at the chevron refinery. an environmental group says it may know what caused that pipe to fail. why they think a certain type of crude oil from the persian gulf may be to blame.

solyndra initially sought to give $500,000 worth of bonuses. the bankruptcy judge today approved a revised bonus request of $370,000. solyndra says it needs to retain key employees during the liquidation of assets. >>> richmond police said the victim of a shooter last night was a 25-year-old rapper. he was found shot to death in richmond. he had been shot twice in the chest. the richmond police detective told ktvu, the shot spotter system picked up 15 to 20 shots fired. garcia's death is richmond's fourth homicide of the year. >>> san jose is reporting that the mardi gras celebrations were relatively peaceful last night. police made a show of force. there were no reports of injuries or property damage. that's a far cry from 2001, when there was rioting. >>> uc berkely accidently sold valuable artwork for a bargain price. it's now valued at more than $1 million. but they were sold to an art dealer for less than $200. that dealer turned around and sold them for much more money to the huntington library. now uc berkely says it can't afford to buy

. >>> solyndra of fremont has declared for bankruptcy but still wants to award some workers. solyndra says the bonuses are for 20 workers needing to help with their organization. >>> the city of oakland is poised to send off lay off notices to hundreds of its employees. sal castaneda tells us the city says this is a result of a controversial ruling from the state's supreme court. >> reporter: the state supreme court has ruled in favor of the state shut down of local redevelopment agencies. this means oakland stands to lose between 25 to $30 million of redevelopment funds. >> we're working with legislators to extend the deadline to february 1st. other wise we'll be sending out lay off notices as early as next week. >> reporter: more than 200 people could be laid off and all city departments will be affected. >> this is probably the biggest cut since prop 13. >> reporter: mayor quan was quick to point out how redevelopment funds helped fix up downtown oakland. >> we used redevelopment money to bond so that we could fix the fog so we could retrofit all of these builds down here

it was outside the fremont plant solyndra. >> this ought to be a big story and i don't think, i think there are a number of people among the president's team that don't want that story to get out. >> reporter: romney's appearance comes on the heels of an attack ad accusing the president of westing tax money on the business. the president's campaign spokeswoman issued a statement saying both republican and democratic lawmakers approved the move. >>> the survey finds 17% of voters are undecided that is more than than in previous surveys. >>> a party as the congressional race heats up. >>> it's been almost 12 years since congress passed the defensive marriage act and today it took a significant hit when a appeals court ruled that a part of that law is unconstitutional. ken pritchett has reaction and what this could mean for d.o.m.a. going forward. >> when it comes to legally married same-sex couples should the federal government be able to deny benefits under the defense of marriage act. today's court ruling says no. >> we were very pleased by today's ruling. >> reporter: ron lewis and s

. >>> newly released e-mails in a solyndra -- today the white house released an e-mail sent by a former obama campaign official who recommended steven chu's replacement. dan carol calls steven chu bryant brilliant but says he was not the right man for the job. the suggestion was not taken seriously. >>> there's still a few light showers in the area. you can see green showing up. this is very light activity. most of the activity gone now but seeing some drizzle out there. in the san francisco airport we have some rain tonight. san francisco airport came back with .4 of an inch of rain. as we go through tonight we're looking for a chance for a scattered shower then valley fog. then warm tomorrow or mild tomorrow. mid-60s in the the warmest spot. dry for your area weekend. that rain system moved south right into southern california, san diego. we start to dry up, we start to clear up. here's what the computer model does. here we are tomorrow morning in the next few hours and the model is suggesting some showers out in the livermore valley. in the mountain that is will taper off as well as

. >>> energy secretary chu replaced to apologize to the now bankrupt loan to solyndra. republicans grilled him for hours. he insisted politics never played a role in the loan as some have suggested. >> i want to be clear over the course of solyndra's loan guarantee i did not make any decisions based on political -- >>> on wall street markets closed lower. the dow dropped 154 points. lower technology stock earns were two of the lowest. >>> yelp was founded back in 2004 and has yet to turn a profit. but the company is said to be valued at about $1.5 billion. >>> gap's profits took a dive dropping 36%. the san francisco company is closing stores in the united states. for this quarter its revenue dipped 2%. however the company earned $136 million. >>> she drowned after a night of partying and now a major new twist in the death of west side story actress natalie wood. >>> i'm back here in less than 10 minute, i'm going to show you the computer model that takes you into the bay >>> inside detectives are taking another look at the drowning death of actress natalie wood. the ag

. >>> solyndra officials say they've only received one bid and it was low. they had hoped to with light scattered showers. steve paulson will be here early and he will look at this thing. the models have had a rough time the last week or two. i don't have to tell you that. the timing has been three hours early or three hours late. what we're looking at now has changed. the models have changed each time for tomorrow and thursday. they're starting to dial it down. the forecast for valley fog, here's the system i'm tracking. you see it swinging down. ample moisture but what's happening is, the system is splitting in two. part of the energy is going north, part of the energy is going south. and literally we're right in the middle. scattered light showers develop in the north bay as this system gets close. overnight rain is when the real event happens is that front slides through overnight. thursday morning showers then tapering off in the afternoon. that's an animation that i built. i will show you the computer model and you see it depicts the same thing. at 9:0

. >>> republicans are requesting information from the white house about the solyndra loan. they asked to subpoena documents of the loan. republicans suspect the loan was a political favor. >> we have a right to know who was involved and what decisions were made and why. >> apparently what the committee really wants is a confrontation with the president not information for the investigation. >> republicans say the documents could explain the relationship between the the president and a solyndra executive who also happens to be a obama donor. >>> well unfortunately it was the end of the road tonight for a bay area contestant on the fox show x factor. a few of allana santiago friend gathered. she's part of the 10 member group intensity. in the end, the judges voted 3- 1 to end that group home. the 14-year-old santiago was born in the philippines but now calls san lorenz oh, her home. >>> a new tip into the claim that >>> a trial got under way today for a 25-year-old fairfield woman accused of second degree murder in the death of four children. shatara james left her three chil

. >> former employees of the bankrupt solyndra solar company turned up for a job fair. drew hundreds of job seekers. former workers received special seminars because it has been tough for them to get good jobs. some have decided to change careers. >> right now i'm trying to get into the medical field. it's a more stable field. fda regulated. can't be formed out. >> more than 1,000 people were left job less after fremont base went bankrupt last year. >> recall of a popular sunscreen after a handful of people catch fire. >> lance armstrong's bad week gets worse. the new allegations he is facing. >> a major cool down across most of the bay area and more changes on the way. coming up, the coolest day of the weekend. the giant's sunday forec >>> how about that? a live look at coit tower in orange light in honor of the giants. kept their season alive with a huge game 5 playoff win. now back to the bay area for another must win do or die game on sunday afternoon. >> lance armstrong's fall may be getting even worse. tonight new allegations that he tried to buy a win. according

internal white house e-mails have shown concern among solyndra's development. >>> and we've got a cool night in store for you tonight. just like the last couple of nights overnight lows are getting into the mid-30s. we have a little bit of wind coming offshore. you can see that indicator representing a northwest wind. perhaps a little fog into the -- with a very cold start and highs slightly warmer than they were today. even right along the coast as you go into saturday and sunday but by sunday afternoon, those north westerly winds start to bring more moisture at the coast and have internal develop fog. these are forecast lows for the airport and downtown area near vallejo. when you get into the inland bay valleys you're going to find temperatures near freezing. not just for the next couple of days but for the next five or six days. then things change around late next week. we will watch that for you. for the most part we're dry for the next five days. what we're looking at tomorrow when you look at the isotherm map look for yellows. a lot of yellows, some oranges up here. i don't know

. >>> we're learning more about the process that led to the federal funding for the manufacturer solyndra. e-mails indicate that an obama fundraiser exerted pressure to push through the half million dollar loan guarantee. steve spinner repeatedly push the energy department to finish the deal even though he was going to recuse himself. >>> people applying for food stamps will no longer need to be fingerprinted thanks to a new state law. governor brown signed the legislation yesterday. it's designed to help low income residents, many of whom are afraid of the fingerprinting requirements. this practice has been in effect for ten years. >>> two state parks in marrin county are not slated to close. there will be a $2 day use fee to visit mere woods on top of $5 entrance fee. it will pay to keep open two other parks. both are located in west marrin. >>> the nobel committee is make stamth with this year's -- statement with this year's peace prize winners. a group it ♪ [ cellphone rings ] cut! [ monica ] i have a small part in a big movie. i thought we'd be on location for 3 days, it's been 3 w

solyndra workers found out when they reported to work yesterday they were out of a job. companies like solyndra that are subsidized need more oversight says hayashi. >>> amtrak started running the rail line 18 years ago when southern pacific gave up passenger service on the peninsula. the new five year contract calls for transit america to provide staff, maintain tracks and trains and other facilities. caltrain says the jobs of current employees are protected and they won't be replaced. >> for the first time today, people got a chance to see a new great white shark on display at the monterey bay aquarium. as ktvu's maureen naylor reports, there's no word on how long the little guy will stay. >>> this is the new star of the open sea exhibit. a 4-foot long great white shark weighing 43 pounds and is less than a year old. >> he's little. >> reporter: grinning ear to ear, this college student is skipping school to come here. >> i'm in school to be a marine biologist, so i jump jumped on the opportunity. >> having it in captivity and this close is a treat. >> reporter: and a

republicans questioned the wisdom of the obama administration, for giving $535 million in guaranteed loans to solyndra in 2009. the hearing comes after the solar company suddenly declared bankruptcy two weeks ago and laid off 1100 workers. >> in this time of record debt, i question whether the government is qualified to asks a capitalist. >> reporter: the republicans are demanding answers why the obama administration pushed for the loan. today, the lending officer said the loan commitment originated during the bush administration. >> the transaction went through nearly three years of rigorous, internal, and external due diligence. >> is it possible that one of the things that changed was a political influence? >> i don't believe so sir, i wasn't there, but there's no indication. >> reporter: republicans are also releasing internal white house emails they say show the loan approval was rushed, so the vice president could announce it at the company's groundbreaking in 2009. president obama visited it last year, touting its green energy jobs. now the republicans say the president has hurt his own cause.

that e-mail reads, the optics of solyndra will be bad. the timing will likely coincide with the 2012 campaign season heating up. >>> republican presidential hopeful michelle bachmann brought her tea party message to the bay area today. and as ktvu's jade hernandez reports the candidate took jabs at the obama administration even making reference to one bay area company. >>> the event began the minute michelle bachmann stepped out and greeted alex selokoski. once the strong rally crowd drew applause. >> what a pleasure to be in marin county where the tea party is alive and active. >> reporter: there were issues she addressed with the a 150 people who paid at least 100 bucks to hear her speak. >> the obama administration only took them nine days to bring that project off the shelves and bring money to solydra. >>> but the candidate also had to defend her recent remarks about the hpv vaccine which she called dangerous. >> at the conclusion of the debate, a woman came to me very distraught, she thanked me for my remarks, she told me her daught

. >>> the congressional committee investigating solyndra has summoned the company's ceo. internal white house e-mails released this week suggestions members of the obama administration knew the company was on shaky financial ground. >>> patents should now be easier to get and use thanks to a bill signed by president obama. >> some where around here is the next thomas jefferson. >> reporter: right now there is a backlog of more than 1 million pal at the present times that are pending. it's hope this bill will streamline patent process and simplify expensive legal battles. the president says that the process will in turn create jobs. president obama signed a bill extending funds to the federal aviation administration. for the rest of the year avoiding a second shut down. late last night congress approved the funding after heated debate. the bill also extends highway funding to next spring. last month's shut down put thousands of faa and construction employees temporarily out of work. >>> the closing numbers from wall street today, the markets ended a week of gains on a high

. >>> don't expect to hear much from top executives from solyndra. their executives are being called to capitol hill to testify after receiving $500 million in loan guarantees. today the executives send word that they plan to invoke their fifth amendment right. >>> in news of the world tonight, in afghanistan a suicide bomber today killed the former afghan president. he had been leading efforts to reach peace with insurgents. the bomber posed as a taliban peace envoy and hid the explosive under his turban. >>> libyan's new leaders say they wanted to assure the world that they intend to uphold the principals of peace and security. the leaders also met with president obama to discuss libya's path forward. in the meantime gadhafi and his troops are still fighting rebels. >>> and in japan, more than 1 million people in the central part of the country have been told to evacuate ahead of a powerful typhoon. the storm is expected to hit in the next several hours. there's already been a lot of wind and rain and so far four people are dead or missing. forecas

solyndra's assets will be auctioned off on september 27th. >>> a audio tape of michael jackson on day one of the case against the doctor accused of killing him. >>> a spectacular sunset tonight over san francisco bay. in eight minutes, bill's forecast for tomorrow and >>> a touching vigil tonight in memory of nursing student michelle le. amber lee is in oakland today with the emotional goodbye and the ways that her memory is going to live on, amber -- >> reporter: frank tonight's vigil was held here at samuel merit university where the nursing student was just six months shy of graduating and realizing her dream of saving lives. ♪ >> words can never describe how much i miss her and the pain will always sit like a rock in my stomach. >> reporter: family and friends say michelle le lit up their lives with her ever present smile. as chronicled through photos they shared tonight. her younger brother says she was his rock. >> now i have to figure out how to carry out my life without her. at the very least, michelle is not hurting anymore. >> reporter: le went missing while she was on rot

. >>> there are two developments this evening involving the shut down of the solyndra solar power plant in fremont. the mercury news reports papers filed today with a bankruptcy court said executived tried to the last minute to keep that plant opened. and there's word that a worker has filed a lawsuit claiming the company owes workers. >>> and the fog is stuck right at the coast. that fog is going to stay there. right now i have fog right in here at half-moon bay. we're not going to see a big push inland. it's going to stay right at the coast. temperatures tomorrow as you know are going to be some of the warmest we've seen, certainly the warmest of the week with temperatures near 100 degrees. or maybe at 100 degrees at a place like the livermore valley or places like brent wood. the fire danger goes up, might -- actually i'll tell you what i bet you we do, air quality district will see a spare the air day district. we have one tomorrow, we'll focus on that. there's some cooling along the coast. look at fair field right now. 70. san jose 67. overnight lows in those inland bay valleys in

. >>> fbi agents raided the solyndra solar plant just one week after the company filed for bankruptcy and abruptly shut down. federal investigators say they are conducting a joint investigation with the department of energy. the fbi hasn't released details about the probe but we do know the federal government provided the company with more than $500 million in stimulus loans. >> they shut us down and they're executing the warrant and we'll cooperate fully with them and we're just basically opens up doors and letting them see what they want to see. >> today fbi agents were removing bags and boxes of evidence. on august 31st without notice solyndra announced it was closing off and laying off 1,100 employees. >>> some san francisco hotel workers are on strike this time it's not about wages or benefits. >>> pretty good sized cool down today as we head toward your friday. a pretty good sized warm up. i'll show you how warm in your 1p >>> workers at a major hotel chain are picketing around the clock around the united states and here in the area. hyatt workers claim the working conditions th

examples, in post- solyndra, where is the discussion for federal support for alternative fuels as we look towards our energy future? >> it will be a matter of ground already taken in the first few rounds of the obama administration. we have seen it nearly triple with all the new funding. it isat best, i think you see i flat. at worst, you see also feels -- see fossil fuels gain some ground whether or not the president wins. >> thank you for being here. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> tomorrow, senator john mccain interestcuss american mistres in asia. covered begins at 9:00 a.m. eastern. >> these men go through things and have scars that no one can understand except each other. >> the person that startled us was the relationship between harry truman and hoover. they formed an alliance that neither would never anticipated. it ended up being enormously productive and formed the foundation of what became a very deep friendship. the letters between them later in their lives about how important they have b

romney held a press conference where he called solyndra a gross waste of company. >> this is not the building that is built by private enterprise. this is the kind of building that is built with $.5 billion of taxpayer money. >> romney's appearance comes on the heels of an attack ad accusing president obama of wasting money. a spokeswoman issued a statement saying in fact both republican and democratic administrations advanced solyndra's application. meantime an exclusive new ktvu field poll on the presidential race in california shows president obama leading mitt romney 48% to 32%. the survey also finds 17% of voters are still undecided. that is more than in previous surveys. >>> time now 4:35. california's elected leaders are taking pay cuts. they have ordered the redictions. coming up in ten minutes the size of the salary cuts and when they will take effect. >>> sierra lamar's friends are planning another rally for her tonight. the hope and faith rally will be held at fremont washington high. some 400 people attended a candle light vigil at the school shortly after she vanished in

. >>> fbi agents spent time at the solyndra solar facility. they are working with the department of energy but would not release more details about the raid. solyndra surprised 1100 workers with layoff notices last month. >>> people who live in the south bay are expressing their concerns with apples plans to build new head quarters. it's a 3. 3.1 million square foot building. some people who live nearby are concerned the new building will bring too many cars, slowing traffic in their neighborhoods, and on interstate 280. >> it's beautiful but it's not going to come without an impact. >> as long as the mitigate the traffic impact and do the proper environmental studies and make sure that's taken care of, i think it will be a positive event for the neighborhood. >> a vote on the project will come next year. a hopes to open their new headquarters in 2015. >>> we will go back to sal to check on traffic. >> we are look at the road work all over the place pam. the traffic is moving along pretty well on interstate 880. some of that road work has been

the white house now says it will comply with the republican subpoena investigating the solyndra loan guarantee. the california solar panel company was the first to receive a federal loan under the 2009 stimulus law. however, it declared bankruptcy in september, laid off its 1100 workers and left taxpayers on the hook for more than a half a billion dollars. last week, republican-led house committee subpoenaed the white house for all internal documents relating to solyndra. the obama administration calls the move politically motivated. >> what do hot wheels, a dollhouse and a blanket all have in common? the answer, they're the newest inductees no ee into the national toy hall of fame. it is in rochester, new york. other hall of fame toys include the bicycle, jack-in-the-box and mr. potato head. >> well deserved. congratulations, toys. >>> still ahead, authorities are now investigating a death at one of the occupy protest sites. more on that coming up. >> plus, the obama administration puts the brakes on plans to build an oil pipeline from canada to mexico. >> will the redskins get the

solyndra: 500 million taxpayer dollars. bankrupt. so where did the obama stimulus money go? windmills from china. electric cars from finland 79% of the 2.1 billion in stimulus grants awarded through it went to overseas companies. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. ♪ i'm teaching performance. here's what they'll need. ♪ get your backpack, your hoodies, harajuku, ♪ ♪ turquoise kinda purple orangish sorta blue. ♪ ♪ backpacks, yeow, ♪ to put their stuff in. ♪ graphic tees and denim, denim, denim, denim. ♪ ♪ backpacks. school takes a lot, target has is all. >>> three contractors confirmed dead in afghanistan. a gunman wearing an afghan police uniform shot the contractors in the western city of harat. the gunman was also shot dead. all three contractors were police training advisors. they say it's worse since afghan troops came over from the taliban government in 2001. >>> at least 103 people were killed in a rash of bombings and shootings across iraq today making this the deadliest day there this year. there were coordinated attacks in 13 c

solyndra: 500 million taxpayer dollars. bankrupt. so where did the obama stimulus money go? windmills from china. electric cars from finland 79% of the 2.1 billion in stimulus grants awarded through it went to overseas companies. [ romney ] i'm mitt romney and i approve this message. >>> right now, police are looking for a suspect in arlington county's murder. that armed robbery shot and killed a jeweler inside his store on friday. >> it happened at the capital jewelers in the 3200 block of columbia pike. police believe this is the man. the guy wearing the reflective vest, he's the one who did it. surae chin spoke to the victim's family. >> reporter: his family says he has been doing it for most of his life. he had owned capital juicers jewelers for five years. her dad would come home late, but when midnight rolled around, he called police. >> he didn't take what he needed and leave my dad alone. he could have just taken what he needed. he didn't have to take his life, too. >> vivian had talked to her father that afternoon. >> earlier that day, he called me around 1:00. ever

. >> a house panel will question steven chu about the solyndra deal. the government gave the company a $500 million loan and president obama toured the company last year. solyndra later went bankrupt and fired 1100 workers. >>> a warning to lead-footed drivers in howard county. the speed cameras are and issuing fines. you'll get a $40 ticket if you're caught. the speed cameras are in school zones. >>> time to answer our question of the morning. channel 9 viewer, brian, does the honors. >> the woman who invented this was originally laughed at. now, most of us own them. what is it? is it a, shoes? b, fake eyelashes or c, windshield wipers? the answer is c, windshield wipers. >> no surprise there. >> i love brian. >> just for a little information, mary anderson got the patent in 1903. the eyelashes, a movie star. a movie mogul invented them in 1916 for the movie intolerance. who knew. >>> we have one more check on traffic and weather right here on 9news now. stay with us. >>> welcome back. 6:58. your weather first. scattered showers out there. cold temper

half million dollars worth of cable tv ads against president obama and his involvement with bankrupt solyndra. the fremont-based company filed for bankruptcy protection in september, a memo by the group cross roads gps indicated three ads will hit president obama for what they call crony government spending in his administration's half billion dollar loan guarantee to solyndra the group is associated with conservative republican strategist, karl rove. >>> newt gingrich and mitt romney are campaigning in new hampshire today before returning to iowa for the next gop debate thursday. romney is scrambling to stop gingrich's surge. but first, he faces fall-out from a wager made at saturday's debate. tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: unable to land a knockout blow this weekend romney is scrambling to stop newt gingrich's surge. first he faces fallout from a wager made at saturday's debate. >> i read your first book it said in there that your mandate in massachusetts which should be the model for the country. >> you have raised that before rick. i'll tell you what, $10,000 bet? >> reporter

half million dollar cable tv ad campaign against president obama and his involvement with bankrupt solyndra. the fremont based solar panel maker filed for bankruptcy protection in september. a memo by the group cross roads gps indicates the three ads will hit president obama for what they call crony government spending in his administration's half billion dollar loan guarantees to solyndra. the group is associated with karl rove. >>> the national parks service and the city of san francisco are locked in a disagreement over the role al -- alcatraz will play in the america's cup sailing race. the planning commission meets thursday to consider the environmental impact of the race. organizers would like to use the rob as a viewing area because it sits in the middle of the race course. the park service is concerned about the impact a large number of spectators will have on the island. the 2013 race could draw half a million to the bay waterfront. >>> 6:37. let's find out what is going on rain-wise out there. >> definitely had sprinkles overnight. will that continue? >> we will see more sprinkles

former solyndra employees have another source to tap into to help them fan a new job. federally funded workforce development agencies like this one in san jose are holding special solyndra enrollment events the funds come from the workforce investment act. >> it will help me to polish up some of my skills. possibly take additional classes in business or some of the other areas i'm interested in. >> we'll provide them an opportunity to upgrade skills, adjust skills to broaden their employment opportunities. it will all happen at no cost to them. >> 1100 workers were fired by solyndra in september after the fremont-based company filed for bankruptcy. >>> in washington the house approved a pipeline safety measure inspired in part by the san bruno explosion last year increasing fines for utilities violating regulations all new pipelines fitted with automatic or remote gas shut off valves, the san bruno fire burned for 90 minutes before the gas could be shut off manually. the bill does not require new valves on existing pipeline. congresswoman spear says she will keep pushi

. >> june hads of laid off solyndra employees have another -- hundreds of laid off solyndra employ another source to tap into. vote agencies like this one in san jose are holding special solyndra enrollment events the funds come from the workforce investment act. >> it will help me to polish up some of my skills. possibly take some additional classes in business or some of the other areas i'm interested in. >> we'll provide them an opportunity to upgrade their skills to adjust their skills. to broaden their employment opportunities. and it will all happen at no cost to them. >> 1100 workers were fired by solyndra in september after the fremont-based company filed for bankruptcy. >>> 6:15. no rain this morning. following your tweets i'm starting to think it might be more dangerous to drive this morning. >> could be around novato where the fog is thickest where the temperature is below freezing this morning. so far frances hasn't heard of any black ice and we haven't seen much fog around san rafael but it doesn't take much just a couple of miles and you can go from clear sky to fog haze hang

. >>> federal grand jury is now looking into the solyndra abruptly. they closed in august without repaying a 535 million dollar loan guaranteed by the government. the plant was raided by the fbi. documents filed by solyndra's lawyers repeatedly refer to a grand jury subpoena. solyndra's failure has been the subject of several inquiries into whether there was political influence involved. president obama and energy secretary chu have said the loan was granted on its merits. >>> if you are looking for a tech job, good news, bay area tech companies plan to increase hiring next year local tech companies are expected to increase their workforce by 5% in 2012 which could bring in 28,000 new jobs. 58% of tech companies plan to hire more workers. 34% expect to keep staffing levels the same only 2% say they will have lay-offs. 6% just aren't sure. the study was didn't by a sunnyvale-based economic development agency. >>> this morning the holiday spirit is alive and well in the south bay. san jose man lost his wallet with more than $1300. he was riding his bike

there have been several accusations that political influence was involved in awarding solyndra's government loan guarantee. president obama1b%bñhenergy secretary have said the loan was granted only on its merits. >>> you see something an bunning on wall street? >> it is optimism. >> it is optimism. >> we see that. jane king joins us live from the new york stock exchange. that and this year's hottest google search. >> watch out here comes that optimism. >> i know. one of the maincuses for this optimism is the government report shows the job market is improving investors liking this. we were already positive here numbers fell more than expected, the lowest level since 2008. that means fewest people in three years filing for first time unemployment benefits. fedex better than expected at least they were not paying attention to what is going on there at the moment. dow and s&p, nasdaq up. bloomberg silicon valley index trading higher. legos after bad planning, blocked efforts to appeal to girls the toymaker says it will unveil new marketing strategy after the holidays. fastest rising search t

according to the times, solyndra lawyers are asking a bankruptcy judge to okay, $500,000 in bonuses as part of an employee in ive plan. the company says, the is to keep -- the few remaining workers it0)]ç has from leaving those workers could get $10,000 to $50,000 in bonuses. >>> this morning wide speculation in the central valley community of patterson that amazon is planning to build a distribution center there. patterson city leaders will only say there's a plan for a project x and a giant unnamed company may be coming to the small town. they won't give out the name of the company. citing a confidentialagreement. last september governor brown cut a deal with amazon to delay collecting online sales tax in the state if the internet giant created 10,000 new jobs in california. the named patterson center would bring 1500 jobs, quite a boost for a town with an unemployment rate approaching 21%. >> the base of our economy has brought a lot of seasonal jobs and higher unemployment we've been working hard to diversify over the last few years. >>> new distribution center would join several

solyndra child for chapter 11 and shutdown. the company blamed increasing competition from international green energy companies. >>> san francisco supervisor after lows introduced a resolution -- according to an audit nearly 400 for closures over the past three years, 84% of the homes foreclosed upon were done so incorrectly or incorrectly. his resolution urges the mayor to direct lobbyists to support the california homeowner bill of rights to protect californians against robo signing practices and other misconduct. >>> if you tweet from your smartphone advertisers will find you. so-called promoted tweets from companies you don't follow are showing up in mobile app apps. twist area announced changes that will allow commercial tweets to show up across its website and apps this will allow sellers to better pinpoint users most likely to buy their products. before promoted tweets would only show up if you followed the company. >>> palo alto officers launching campaign to prevent burglaries by getting more residents to lock doors an

former fremont solar power company solyndra auctioning off assets. starting tomorrow buyers can get artwork that hung on office walls, computers, solar panels and the microwave. it is still up for sale facilities and manufacturing equipment will not be auctioned. solyndra received a 500 million dollar federal loan and filed for bankrupt september and laid off 1,000 workers. >>> san mateo county supervisors are set to decide whether to approve a long range plan that would allow expanding development in the unincorporated north fair oaked neighborhood permitting taller buildings along main thoroughfares and add more traffic near fifth avenue bay and woodside roads planning commission approved that plan in september. 15,000 people live in the community located between menlo park atherton and redwood city. >>> security experts say china is behind a string of cyber tacks that targeted 48 chemical and military-related companies. the report says companies were sent e-mails containing malicious software designed to steal industrial secrets. the attack was tr

investigators are trying to determine if solyndra used political influence to secure the loan and then to get it restructured when the company started to faller. >>> a pea of -- a piece of fisherman's wharf history is open again. the fish company reopened yesterday. the owners voluntarily closed the store while an environmental cleanup took place nearby. they were concerned that and dust stirred up might contaminate their fish and crab. the tanks empty now, hopefully they will be filled soon after the crab season opens next tuesday the company has been in operation more than 70 years. get your bibs back on. >> 5:57. just ahead, the parking garage crime that hassan jose police on the hunt for a kidnap -- that has san jose police on the hunt for a kidnapping suspect. >> reporter: you know it is not a good morning for pg&e when their main concern is not last night's gas leak. they are more concerned about a new investigation that could cost the utility millions.

solyndra received a half million dollars federal loan guarantee in 2009. the company isn't an e-mail last year saying it needed emergency money to avoid shutting down. solyndra filed for bankruptcy in september, laying off 1,000 employees. >>> 5:38. once again, alaska sending is primary export to california, cold air. and plenty of it. >> mike? >> quite a change in the forecast coming. a little bit today with cooler weather. you will really notice it friday and through the weekend. good morning here's a look at the jet stream still well north low clouds along the coast. visibility down to 1 and 3/4 mile around half moon bay up to about 9 in santa rosa, half mile in novato and 3/4 of a mile in napa. watch out for that. some of this fog is spilling across san francisco now. winds fairly calm just above the surface northerly wind will push some of this fog down the east bay shorelines right now not a problem. upper 30s santa rosa, mid 30s napa 8:00 rest of us in the 40s to near 50 san francisco, mid to upper 50s around bay shore low to mid 60s during your lun

solyndra received a half billion dollar federal loan guarantee in 2009. the company sent an e-mail to the energy department last year saying it needed emergency money to avoid shutting down. solyndra filed for bankruptcy in past september laying off 1,000 employees. >>> in oakland, voters rejected all three ballot measures in a special election. the main issue was measure i parcel tax, temporary that would have cost homeowners $80 a year. 62% voted against it. the revenue was intended to be used to restore city services including library, police and fire. voters defeated a measure to extend the amount of time the city has to fully fund the police and fire retirement system. and a measure to make the city attorney an appointed position also lost. >>> 6:46. stocks sliding as oil prices jump. in tough economy, in-laws are moving from the dog house to the main house. >> jane king joins us live from the new york stock exchange to explain that cryptic remark. >> hello. good morning. i guess this is a sign of the times. many extended families live together under

the solyndra loan he says, was subject to rigorous scrutiny and healthy debate. he adds, i did not make any decision based on political considerations. >>> hundreds of high-tech jobs are coming to the east bay. san ramon specifically, which will be the home of the new technology nerve center for ge. going to hire 400 software engineers who will work on the next generation of smart machine. within analyst says ge is trying to make months with a wide range of uses, they could help doctors identify and treat complex ail s -- ailments or run power grids. 50 workers have already moved into the complex. the rest will move in over the next two years. >>> more deep cuts could be coming soon to california higher education. independent legislative analyst office says california's budget is expected to fall 3.7 billion dollars short this fiscal year. if that holds true it will trigger two billion dollars in automatic spending cuts on january 1st. the uc and csu systems will lose 100 million dollars each. public schools, prisons, libraries and other programs would face cuts.

the solyndra lone he says was subject to, rigorous scrutiny and healthy debate and he adds, i did not make any decision based on political considerations. >>> you may see the sun this morning but less and less as the day guess on? >> and more and more -- day goes on? >> and more and more possibly moisture. >> scattered showers during the afternoon hours. right now the moisture is the in the form of thick fog system drews near it is pushing moisture in and creating fog. right now the best for the wet weather is up to our north around eureka. look up in the north bay valleys less than a quarter of mile in novato half a mile in napa and quarter mile in santa rosa could be a little dangerous traveling to the north bay upper 30s. mid to upper 40s antioch, livermore, redwood city, los gatos. by the afternoon coolest weather north where the clouds will be thickest and where the scattered showers will develop during the afternoon. mid to upper 50s for into san francisco and half moon bay low to mid 60s for everybody else with the scattered showers moving in probably once the sunsets around 5:

held on first degree murder charges and could face the death penalty >>> problems keep mounting or solyndra. company officials tell a bankruptcy trustee that no qualified bidders have come forward to buy the solar panel maker and take over manufacturing. officials are looking at a piecemeal sale of assets with separate auctions for machinery, equipment, real estate and end electric wall property. the manufacturer filed for bankruptcy in september. it is under investigation by the fbi and congress over a 535 million dollar loan guarantee it received from the obama administration. >>> 5:08. from solar panels to news about how the skies may open up and rain on us today. >> and when is that going to happen? >>> i have to adjust the timeline. threw a little wrench in the way this is moving towards us. slowing down. because it is slowing it is going to come in later which could be good news if you are traveling later this afternoon and evening because it will be dry. overnight through tomorrow afternoon the rain is going to hang around. clear now. rain up here, hasn't even come ashore yet in nort

we'll talk more about that. >>> the problems keep mounting for solyndra. company officials tell a bankruptcy trustee that no qualified bidders have come forward to buy the company and take over manufacturing. officials say they are looking at a piecemeal sale of assets with separate auctions for machinery and equipment, real estate and electric wall property. the manufacturer filed for bankruptcy in september. currently under investigation by the fbi and congress over a 535 million dollar loan guarantee it received from the obama administration. >>> another blow to the proposed california high speed rail project. republicans in congress are trying to take back three billion dollars in already approved federal grants. that money is critical to starting construction next year in the central valley. california gop representatives say the project is flawed and unaffordable. the cost has spiralled to nearly 100 billion dollars. the obama administration is fighting to keep the start-up grants and governor brown intends to ask the state legislature to take action

turns out the energy department was considering a bailout for solyndra in august. that idea was nixed a analyst said without it the company would fail, which it did in september more than 1,000 people lost their jobs itch the history of course is that the bailout money would have -- followed the half billion dollar loan the government already gave solyndra. republicans say federal investigators had already warned the company was in trouble when the government made that loan. we'll be watching the meeting. katie mar slew so abc7 news. >>> 5:48. at the core of the -- occupy movement is the number of people who cannot make ends meet. a record number of people in the u.s. are in dire straits. now 1 in 15 people live in extreme poverty a record 20 million americans living at 50% or less of the official poverty level. an income of $500 for an individual and just over $11,000 for a family of four. these figures are the highest that is the people living in dire straights in the 35 that the census rojas maintained such records. >>> california will go another year without ex

. -- solyndra and bailout in the same sentence. following a hearing at the house this morning the day of it is revealed ♪ when life gets busy... there are days where you want to give your immune system some support. try airborne. each serving contains 14 vitamins, minerals and herbs including zinc, echinacea, ginger, and a blast of vitamin c. it's the easy, great-tasting way to help support your immune system. try airborne. in fast-acting effervescent formula, and new super-convenient chewable tablets! >>> check out the california forecast especially north of 80 where we have valley rain and mountain snow temperatures in the 50s in eureka and chico to mid 50s in sacramento and big sur. sun fresno 72. santa anas relaxing. high country where we have a winter weather advisory starting at 5:00 this evening through 5:00 tomorrow morning. snow level down to 4,000 feet. changes are possible on our passes as we get up to half a foot of snow around 7,000 feet. >>> 6:4 the giants fan -- >>> if we can quickly i go to this developing situati

we are not talking solyndra. another troubled silicon valley firm got a bigger loan and is still behind the eight ball. katie is live in the newsroom. here we go again. >> yeah. this time we are talking a company called sunpower. its loan was twice as much as solyndra's in fact, sunpower has lost about as such as solyndra was loaned. stay with me. according california watch, sunpower based in san jose lost more than 370 million dollars in the 3rd quarter. that follows a 150 million dollar loss in the 2nd quarter. which follows a two million dollar loss in the 1st quarter. not a good pattern especially when we are talking about taxpayer money. september 30th, the last day of the loan department, sun power received a 1.2 billion dollar loan to build a 250 megawatt plant. the company dedicated that plant in april and at that time, the ceo was optimistic about the future. here's what he told abc7 news then. >> what we have is 25 years experience so we can do a good job of rifle shooting and not shotgunning. we have a

a hearing is scheduled for next month. >>> is;é it another solyndra? south bay solar panel maker warning of huge losses and possible job could you tell -- cuts despite a huge government loan. >> katie with details. watch sunpower based in san jose has announced it lost more than 370 million dollars in the 3rd quarter. when you add up losses from the 1st and 2nd quarters half a billion dollars in taxpayer money. september 30th the last day of the energy department's loan program sunpower received a 1.2 billion dollar loan to build a 250 megawatt plant. now sun power says it will be laying off workers and the cfo is resigning. yesterday a house subcommittee voted to subpoena white house dock s related to solyndra. solyndra went bankrupt -- dark after getting half a billion dollar loan from the government. the loan program is now under a microscope. for our other top story we go to terry mcsweeney. >> reporter: good morning. the question this morning is what do protesters do when they themselves become the object of a protest? take a look at some communit

david louie with news of a shakeup at san jose's sun power. >> first the bankruptcy of solyndra, now another solar maker hits rough waters trigger layoffs and exit of two top executives. sun power's c.e.o. thinks a turnaround won't happen overnight. >> we see this as a year, maybe two years, then we see significant demand redemption and growth. >> the slow dawn in sales and low-cost panels from china extended losses past a half billion dollars. sun power, however, has a deep pocket partner, total, a french company that ranks among the top energy companies in the world. they paid $1.3 billion for a 60% stake? sun power? june. the president sees it as a long-term deal. >> he believes in mainstream energy resource in the time frame of 2020, 2030, so he's betting on sun power to be top three if not number one in that time frame. >> sun power also applied for and received a $1.2 billion loan guarantee on the last day of the federal energy program in september. its financing a 250 megawater solar generation project called the california valley solar ranch. sun power's partner in the projec

. >>> solyndra has brought in more than six million dollars in an auction to sell off some of its equipment. the company sold off nonessential items like spare equipment and company memorabilia to pay back the federal stimulus loan it defaulted on. more than 3900 bidders registered for the auction. potential buyers can bid on the actual business at another auction later this month. >>> this is the time to get flu shots. today you can get one free. clinic by the way in san francisco's mission district is you ever ago adults free vaccinations to celebrate its first anniversary. the clinic is staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses and serves working uninsureed in san francisco and daly city. today's clinic is open to any adult. shots given from 1 to 5 this afternoon. >>> just ahead, did she break the rules? the stock questions that now have one of televisions most respected news programs investigating nancy pelosi. >> can occupy oakland come to a peaceful end? that's what the mayor is hoping for. there are now signs that police are preparing to move in. i'm amy hollyfield live in oakland. tha