This is CBS.
Next on News 8, hundreds of San Diego drivers caught by red light cameras are smiling tonight.
Their tickets will be thrown out.
A big protest today.
County workers say our emergency 911 services are in danger.
And San Diego's most beloved panda, Wa-Mei, moves into her new home.
News 8 starts right now.
You're watching San Diego's number one source for news right here, right now.
This is News 8 at 6.30.
And if they're going to be making money from the citizens, the citizens should demand that
they prove that this equipment works the way they say it has.
A big break tonight for San Diego drivers caught breaking the law.
You may not have to fight your red light ticket or pay that hefty fine.
Good evening.
Thanks for joining us.
I'm Shirley Edwards in for Kathleen Bade.
And I'm Michael Tuck.
Red light cameras have caused a lot of controversy lately.
And now, if you have ever been caught running red lights at three intersections, your ticket
will be thrown out.
The intersections are Miramesa Boulevard and Black Mountain Road in Miramesa, Ingram Street
and Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, and 16th and F Streets downtown.
That's where News 8's Phil Blower is live right now with more.
Phil?
That's right, Mike.
We are here at 16th and F Streets in the downtown area where the red light camera right now
remains disconnected until an independent audit of the system is done.
Now that audit was ordered by Police Chief Dave Bejarano because the system may be unreliable.
And that's why City Attorney Casey Gwynne decided last month to throw out all pending
traffic tickets as of June 6th, generated by cameras at these three intersections, 16th
and F, Black Mountain Road and Miramesa Boulevard and Miramesa, and Ingram Street and Garnet
Avenue in Pacific Beach.
Now, the company that runs the program talked about underground sensors and they move them,
which then measure where the vehicle is when the light turns red here.
However, they forgot to tell the police they moved them, which resulted in mistakes.
Here's a reaction now from the City Attorney's office, followed by a motorist defense attorney
to the judge's order today.
We feel that it's totally constitutional.
It's a program designed to promote the public safety, the safety of our highways, and it's
constitutional.
Our main goal in representing our clients is first and foremost to win for our clients.
But secondarily, we hope to fight our cases so hard that we raise public awareness enough
to get the cameras kicked out of the state for good.
Now, if you have any questions about the red light camera program regarding today's ruling,
you can call a special hotline number set up by the City Attorney's office.
That number is area code 619-533-5604.
That's again 619-533-5604 and hopefully your questions will be answered.
Back to you.
And I'm sure there are a lot of questions.
Thanks a lot, Phil.
Yeah.
Well, our web poll question tonight, what's your experience with these red light cameras?
You can let us know at KFMB.com.
We'll have the results for you tonight on News 8 at 11 o'clock.
A former toxicologist with the County Medical Examiner's Office says she didn't kill her
husband.
Kristen Rossum pleaded not guilty to murder charges today.
Investigators say she poisoned her husband last November with a powerful painkiller that
was found missing from her workplace.
Prosecutors also say Rossum's husband threatened to report her affair with her former boss
and her drug use.
News 8 also found out that one of the investigators in this case was a reference for Rossum on
her resume.
Now, if convicted, she could face the death penalty.
San Diego County workers say our emergency 911 services are in jeopardy.
About 200 employees protested downtown today.
They say they're overworked and they say crucial public services are being neglected.
News 8's Adriana Alcaarez is live downtown right now and she has more for us.
Adriana?
And Michael, those county employees are demanding better working conditions.
They say they are understaffed and they say it's getting harder for them to do their job
right.
What do we want?
Full staff.
When do we want it?
Now.
What do we want?
Full staff.
When do we want it?
Now.
What do we want?
Full staff.
About 200 people held this rally this afternoon outside the county administration building
here.
All of them public service workers including probation officers, nurses, social workers
and 911 dispatchers.
Their union contract expired on Saturday and for the new contract they want higher wages,
better benefits and better working conditions.
They say right now the Polinsky Children's Center is understaffed by 20 percent.
The Sheriff's Communication Center is also low employees by almost 50 percent.
If this continues, workers believe the public will get the short end of the stick.
As for themselves, they're pretty much fed up.
The quality of my life is terrible.
I'm a single mom trying to do things with my child.
I can't do it because I never know what my schedule is going to look like, what my life
is going to look like, what my paycheck is going to look like and we're just living from
hand to mouth.
And back here live, the county was not available for comment today.
It is still not clear when both sides will go back to the bargaining table.
We will keep you updated.
Barbara Lee, back to you.
Thanks a lot Adriana.
Well, another close call to conserve today after power officials declared a stage two
alert.
In the meantime, in Yuba City, Governor Gray Davis flipped the switch on another new power
plant.
The Alpine Sutter Energy Center will provide power to more than 400,000 homes.
Also today, Duke Energy is fighting back against allegations it manipulated power production
at its South Bay plant to drive up prices.
Duke officials say they reduced production on orders from the independent system operator.
State Senator Steve Pease says maybe we should redirect all this pressure.
I'm far more angry, and I think Californians are going to be far more angry about their
federal government than about the generals.
We expect them to be greedy.
That's what they're supposed to do.
The job is of the policeman to blow the whistle.
Congressman Bob Filner says there are still a lot of unanswered questions about Duke's
business practices.
The allegations first became public last month when three former plant workers came forward
with their claims.
Time now to check your Monday night drive home.
Jason Ostel is live in Chopper 8.
Jason, people getting home in time for dinner.
They still out there on the freeway.
Most of them are.
I was just about to come on the air and say it looks like it's just a matter of slowing.
And then we looked up and saw a big trail of smoke coming down the freeway on the 5.
Looks like they've got this one put out.
It was smoking pretty good just a little while ago, this old bus here.
This is a southbound 5 right here being the racetrack.
They're trying to get away from it now.
This one's going to catch fire, it looks like.
South 5, right-of-beam the racetrack here between Via de la Valle and Delmar Heights
Road.
Northbound 15 is all cleared out.
A little bit of slowing left out of Mission Valley from about Texas Street out to the
15 Qualcomm Stadium area somewhere in there.
We'll keep an eye on this.
If it gets cooking, we'll be sure to let you know.
All right.
Thank you very much, Jason.
I think you'd want to get away from that.
I would.
If I saw smoke coming out from under the hood, I'd be backing up.
Well, just in time for the 4th of July, Disney is bringing back its electrical parade.
Meteorologist Matt Bailo is live at California Adventure with more on that and also the very
important weather forecast coming up here, Matt.
That's right.
Michael Barber, we actually have some of our own electrical parade coming up over San Diego
the next few days in the form of some lightning strikes possible and once again some scattered
thunderstorms.
But at the moment, the electrical parade is here at Disney.
And actually, they're going to run it tonight for the first time in five years, not since
19... Actually, they started it in 1972.
And since that time, it was retired in 1996.
But they're bringing it back starting at the 4th of July.
There's a secret little presentation that's coming up a little bit later tonight.
And we'll show you more of that coming up on News 8 at 11 o'clock.
But today, temperatures around the county continue to be quite warm.
Upper 70s around the South Bay.
Temperatures actually 80 at Imperial Beach.
Up in the North County, 89 in Rancho Bernardo, 92 in Escondido today.
A muggy 88 in Poway and 87 in Fallbrook.
East County temperatures made it into the upper 80s and lower 90s.
The atmosphere pretty moist today.
So it's a little tough to really heat up.
And out in the mountains.
There was a report at 102 in Julian, but that seems like it was pretty warm.
Anyway, more on our weather is going to be coming up a little later on in this newscast.
And this is no Mickey Mouse weather that we got coming around here.
He was having a great time there, dancing away.
Well, coming up, we will have an update on Vice President Dick Cheney's health.
Also, why plans to create the largest airline in the nation will be grounded.
And you won't be able to see them in person yet, but we will give you a sneak peek of
Wa-Mei and Shishi's new digs.
Live from San Diego's number one source for news.
Michael Tuck, Kathleen Bain, Matt Bailo's microclimate weather, and Ted Leitner.
Right here, right now.
You're watching News 8 at 630.
Valley View Casino's really cooking in July.
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News 8 is brought to you in part by the California Department of Health Services.
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How are you today?
It's just the way it is.
It's Ray, right?
Good to see you today, Ray.
Hey, look at that.
The poster.
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Now, you see, this is what I'm talking about.
It's about building a lifetime relationship.
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You notice how the eye line is perfect, huh?
There's a method to this madness.
Every week, News 8 celebrates the very best of San Diego schools.
To nominate your school, write or email us at this address.
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Doing the right thing for San Diego.
Believe it or not, it was back to work today for Vice President Dick Cheney just two days
after undergoing heart surgery.
Very good.
Little tender in the shoulder.
It'll pass.
Cheney is taking Tylenol for soreness in his left shoulder where doctors implanted a pacemaker
defibrillator.
The pager-sized device restores normal rhythm to his heart.
About 150,000 Americans have the same pacemaker as Cheney.
Talks of a merger between United and U.S. Airways won't be taking off after all.
United had planned to buy U.S. Airways for $4.3 billion, but now both sides say they
plan to abandon the deal because of antitrust concerns and a sluggish economy.
Industry analysts say this is good news for consumers and continued airline competition.
Well San Diego's most famous giant panda, Wa-Mei, and her dad have moved into their
new home.
Talk about moving up.
This one's four times larger than its original size.
News 8's Don Teague joins us now with more.
Don?
Well it's larger and it's a lot more expensive.
The panda facility has undergone a $4 million renovation that should make the pandas and
researchers a lot more comfortable.
After nine months of temporary lodging in Bear Canyon, two-year-old Wa-Mei and Shishi,
an adult male, made the move this weekend into their new digs at the Giant Panda Research
Station.
They will spend the next couple of days getting used to their new home and hopefully the public
will be able to see them beginning on the 4th of July.
Word is the pandas approve of the move.
This was really great for her because she had all of her climbing materials and that's
basically what she did was spend most of her time climbing and swinging and playing in
the trees and rolling down the slopes and she's got a nice large pool in there so she
spent a lot of time swimming this morning in her pool.
Sounds like fun.
By the way, Wa-Mei's mom, Bayoune, will remain in the temporary enclosure for the time being.
Zoo officials say there's a chance the 10-year-old female may be pregnant so they want to avoid
adding any new stress to her life right now.
Which sounds good.
It sounds good and I notice the new facility's got a nursery just in case.
It holds about double the panda population that they currently have so I think they're
planning for some expansion.
Quite the facility.
A possibly pregnant panda.
Say that three times.
Yeah, thank you, Todd.
Coming up, your weather for the upcoming 4th of July celebrations.
I'm Kathy Lowe of your Microclimate Forecast live from California Adventure.
Up next.
Okay, so how many commercials have you seen so far tonight?
And have they made promises they can't keep?
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This is it.
Lauren's Furniture is having their most incredible sales event ever.
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I-L-O-V-E-MI-D-O-D-G-E-T-R-U-C-K-T-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-T, different by a hundred miles.
More than a million households have switched to Dodge trucks.
And with finance savings over $3,200 or up to $2,000 in cash allowances, is it any wonder?
Local news.
Just about everyone's got an opinion about it, and we want to know yours.
That's why we created the News 8 Advisory Board.
Join us on our website at kfmb.com and click on News 8 Advisory Board.
Tell us what you think.
We're listening.
Imagine living in a third world country where the lights went out.
We'd laugh at that government's leadership.
You don't have to imagine it.
Just look at Governor Gray Davis and our blackouts.
He blames everyone, but himself.
Now he wants his bureaucrats to control electricity.
Under Gray Davis, we've got first world taxes and third world rolling blackouts.
Maybe it's time we started calling them by their right name.
Rolling Grayouts.
Well let's head on up to Disney's California Adventure where Matt Bailo has our weather
tonight.
You know, and our weather here, Barb, actually has been very similar to what it's been like
in San Diego today.
It's been a little bit muggy, a little bit sticky at times.
We haven't had the thunderstorm or sprinkle activity that we've seen in San Diego up here
in Anaheim, but temperatures have been rather mild and a lot of closed clouds now.
We're starting to move out of the county.
In fact, some pictures from our News 8 Skycam from earlier this afternoon.
This is from actually Mount Soledad looking off toward the southwest there, toward PB.
And you'll notice that some of those lower level clouds are moving onshore, whereas the
higher clouds moving up toward the northwest.
All that precipitation that was associated with this cloud cover is moving on rapidly
toward the northwest and exiting the county now.
In fact, over the past few hours we've seen the precipitation really start to dwindle.
A lot of it today was verga.
Didn't quite hit the ground.
Evaporated before it got there.
Some of it did make it to the ground.
This is going to be the same story over the next few days.
In fact, satellite pictures show the clouds moving quickly toward the northwest.
And on our website, I put the one kilometer San Diego visible satellite loop on there.
Just go onto our website, kfmb.com.
Click on my little weather column there and there's a little link to that website.
It's really kind of cool.
Something to check out.
In the Almanac today, our high temperature was 75.
The low was 66.
No official rainfall, although some spots around San Diego did get a trace.
And sunset tonight is right around 8 o'clock.
Mission Bay is your first microclimate here on News 8 at 630.
At Mission Bay right now it's 71 degrees.
There's a west wind at 5, but that 71 is a little on the muggy side.
The relative humidity is all the way at 81 percent right now.
The barometer at 29.81.
And those muggy conditions extend downtown as well.
The temperature isn't all that bad.
72.
We've got a southwest wind at 9, but again the relative humidity.
In the mid-80s at this hour of the day, that's a sticky situation for San Diego.
It's 84 percent downtown.
The barometer at 29.83.
And temperatures around the southwest?
Mostly in the low to mid 70s along the coastline.
Now in the desert they have had some rolling blackouts in Las Vegas and are going to get
them later on tonight as temperatures have been well over 110 there.
Also well over 115 in Palm Springs.
The high today in Borrego managed to make it to 117.
And across the west this high pressure will continue to bring in some of this monsoonal
moisture.
So look for another chance for some scattered thunderstorms, especially in the mountains
and deserts tomorrow, the 4th of July, even to the end of the week.
And some of those scattered thunderstorms may bring some sprinkles into the inland valleys
and even to the coastline I think over the next couple of days.
As there's more moisture on the way upstream we have more of those storms.
So look for a repeat tomorrow even into the 4th, maybe on Thursday as well before things
start to dry out on Friday or Saturday.
Over the next five days temperatures really aren't going to change much.
I think we'll see the warmest weather of the week tomorrow and then things will slowly
start to cool down Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Especially inland you'll get the chance for a scattered, isolated thunderstorm or two
through Thursday or Friday before things start to dry out.
And temperatures there as well will start to cool down.
But Barb and Michael, because there's so much moisture in the atmosphere and that monsoonal
moisture is going to work its way in here, it's going to actually feel just as hot, if
not hotter, by the end of the week even though the actual temperature is going to cool down
just a little bit.
Yeah, I thought it was in Houston this afternoon.
It kind of had that feeling to it.
You know, they had a lot more lightning in Houston than we had.
Yeah, they did.
I know exactly what you're saying.
It's that kind of weather and we'll have it for a few more minutes.
Matt, thank you very much.
That was the way it is, isn't it?
Good weather and that crazy lightning.
Yeah.
Seven time Wimbledon Champete, San Francisco will not be going after title number eight
this year.
Title will tell you all about the upset.
And former Padre Bryce Florey got a shock in Toronto this afternoon.
We'll show you what happened in sports.
Access denied, but I need those graphs for the meeting.
Dude, just go to plan B. Plan B.
What's plan B?
I don't know what plan B is.
Tell me, what is plan B?
As you can see from Mr. Stinsmulin and Mr. Nemily, the last couple of years were well
below estimates.
But this year we expect to grow enormously.
Any questions?
Reliable remote access so you won't need a plan B. Pacific Bell data, we're on it.
Coming up on the next ET, Survivor Elizabeth's fall wedding.
We're there as she tries on wedding dresses.
Then what Mark Wahlberg told Vanity Fair about his troubled childhood.
Sniffing cocaine at 13 and the drug induced crime spree that landed him behind bars.
Plus Barbara Eden's son, the movie he finished just two weeks ago and what the film's producer
told us.
I spoke to his fiance last night.
And how Barbara is doing today.
Next ET.
Tonight at seven on Channel 8.
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Valuable health tips that make a difference in your life.
That's the News 8 HealthCast with Barbaralee Edwards.
It's about living smart and living healthy.
It's medical breakthroughs.
It's about things you and your family do every day.
HealthCast with Barbaralee Edwards.
The Charbroil Chicken Club.
Don't bother me.
I'm eating.
Carl's Jr.
The Padres took the night off tonight by popular demand, but not so Teddy.
They jump up the bandwagon.
Very nice.
The leaping off.
I have a funny line.
Somebody said every time I get excited about this team, they come home.
It's true.
Go on the road.
Yeah.
That's right.
Go Padres.
On the road.
I was driving down the line Saturday night for the game to get into Mission Village Drive
entrance and this woman in front of me, it was like 10 minutes of this and get the money
and then give the money back and getting directions to go.
When she finally went in, she made a U-turn and came back out.
And I asked, when I got there, I asked Neil, what was that about?
And he said, she thought Pavarotti was singing here.
No, no, no.
Pavarotti was singing at the sports arena.
They're playing baseball at the big open thing, you know?
Unbelievable.
Because you know me, I was very calm.
I was very calm.
I never said anything.
I was very patient sitting behind her and she should have someone as a keeper as soon
as possible, if at all possible.
Wow.
The number one guy is out, Pete Sampras, who had not lost to Wimbledon in like 31 sets.
This is not the match, I don't believe.
This is not the match because they don't allow us to show it.
CBS Even News had like one match point.
Roger Federer of Switzerland, young whippersnapper, teenage punk upset Sampras, who just said
it was the kid's day, whatever, and he moves on.
So that's obviously the biggest upset of this entire thing.
They have the fans voting because they think the fans should vote and they're right.
They should, but they do get carried away and they try to eliminate the ballot box stuffing.
But this is the American League team that will play in Seattle next Tuesday with a whole
lot of Mariners.
Oluhuru at his first pace, Brett Boone should be.
Alex Rodriguez should be.
Ripken, this is good because Ripken had announced he's not playing worth a darn, but since
he announced his retirement, they had time to vote him over David Bell, who's hitting
250 for heaven's sakes with about 20 RBI.
So Ripken in his final All-Star appearance.
Then Yvonne Rodriguez and Suzuki, Ramirez, Gonzalez, and Edgar Martinez are the Mariners.
And that's a pretty good team.
Speaking of Manny Ramirez, this guy's such a great hitter.
A great hitter.
Three-round homer, the first for the Red Sox today in the game against over Toronto.
And remember Bryce Flory, got hit again.
He got hit in the face last July.
He took from that time to come back last week and then gets hit in the wrist during the
game today.
Man, oh man, this guy's got no luck.
Absolutely none.
So they didn't think it was serious and it certainly beats the heck out of getting smashed
in the face.
Lovely, huh?
Simply lovely.
Oh man, oh man, what's Mike Dar here yesterday?
This is the only highlight from yesterday that is a highlight.
The rest is all Dodger stuff.
Let him show that in Los Angeles.
That's the best Padre catch of the year.
And it was a home run, clearly, by Eric Harris of the Dodgers.
Outstanding.
That was the high moment.
That and the bub-bub-bubblehead dolls that they gave out.
To the plays, by the way, in addition to that, of the weekend.
Came in and came out.
He's got to focus.
Here's a deep fly to center.
Torrey Hunter going back at the fans.
And he made the catch!
Maybe playable for Pratt.
And does he hold on?
Tremendous effort and he's got the ball!
And they had these little bobblehead dolls, which had been a big deal.
I was selling them on eBay for like $70, but they had it for the swinging fryer.
Who cares about the swinging fryer?
I thought the Jerry Coleman bobblehead doll would be my album.
I'd have that on my desk the rest of my life.
Where do you get these bobbleheaded dolls?
No, no, no.
Bobblehead.
Well, she's been working with me for a couple of months.
I just looked over at you and out it came.
I'm sorry.
Coming up, a man in a bird suit tries to teach another bird how to fly.
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A local bridal gown store leaves a lot of brides in tears.
They say the store closed up shop without any notice and gowns they paid for, they say,
were never delivered.
Some women were just days away from their wedding when they found out the devastating
news.
And we'll have a live report on that coming up tonight at 11 o'clock.
Plus, a new development.
In the case of missing intern Chandra Levy, we'll have the latest on News 8 at 11 o'clock
tonight.
And finally tonight, you may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but how about
trying to teach a whooping crane to fly?
Yeah, take a look at this.
That's what wildlife experts are trying to do.
In Laurel, Maryland, a man dressed up like a whooping crane is using an ultralight airplane
to teach this chick to migrate.
Now, the whooping crane is one of America's most endangered species with only about 260
of them left in the wild.
This fall, the birds will follow the ultralight from Wisconsin to Florida.
Scientists are hopeful the birds will then learn how to return on their own next spring.
There's a movie about that, wasn't it?
About the Canada geese.
The little cranes are buying it.
They're following that bird costume.
Have a great night.
Good night.
Alright, good night.
Good night.