: you're watching cbs 5 eyewitness news on the cw. ♪ [ music ] alicia keys and stevie wonder among the stars paying tribute to whitney houston. how her costar in the body guard remembers the shy girl from new jersey. and you heard about budget cuts and layoffs for years. tonight a different picture in oakland. why the police department is saying help wanted. >> right now, we are definitely scheduled to make it tuesday, 5:00 a.m. we may be able to open early. >> rapid progress on the bay bridge project. what put crews on the fast track and ahead of schedule? and good evening, the closure of the upper deck of the bay bridge made a mess out of bay

area traffic while most places are clearing up, you can see right here from chopper 5 is 101 south heading toward the golden gate bridge. a huge backup there all day long. so our advice, leave early if you are planning on a night out. so far, so good. 26 hours after the bay bridge closed last night, work is proceeding ahead of schedule. and there's a good chance the bridge could reopen sooner than planned. don knapp is on the bridge with a progress report for us. don. >> reporter: just a little short of the bridge. when it comes to the weather, caltrans apparently planned for the worst and then luckily got something better than the worst. they got good weather today, which means it's not only likely that as you said, they might get this bridge reopened before 5:00 a.m. tuesday, but they may open the new bridge perhaps as much as a year ahead of schedule. crews put down black top on a newly constructed curb portion of roadway just beyond the toll

plaza and the bridge. it's a detour for traffic in the coming days to allow demolition of a section of the bridge that carried traffic since the bridge was construction. here in video supplied by caltrans, workers cut through a section of the 80-year-old bridge last night. this weekend's closure allows so much work to be done. demolition of the existing bridge, it will help the new bridge come into service much earlier than originally planned. >> we come this, we are potentially going to be shaving off six months to a year of our previous construction schedule. >> created an opportunity. >> so the opportunity was, if we could move the traffic to the south, get it out of the way, then what we could do is drop a construction team inbetween the existing bridge that has traffic on it and the new bridge that we are building and complete that portion of the bridge that we would have had to build after the westbound was originally

opened. >> here's the main focus of the work this weekend. a place where the new bridge meets the oakland shore. closing the westbound lanes and moving them south. open room for crews to connect the roadway to the new bridge to the land. and become usual with the holiday weekend closures we have seen in recent years, having the bridge in one direction shut down provides a great opportunity to get other work done. there are 45 projects underway this weekend and they are all making good time. primarily because of the weather. >> paving something we had concerns about. we had sun today means that we are just about through that part of it. >> as of right now, everything on schedule. no glitches so far, which means we are on track to get the bridge open. whether that's 4:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m., or sometime monday night, we don't know. i wouldn't plan on it, but they are hoping to get it open earlier. >> we appreciate it. >> all right, so let's take a welcome at some of the traffic

conditions along the alternate routes. things are much better. you can see a lot more green tonight. earlier today, it was stop and go across the span. now the trouble spot is still going south toward the golden gate bridge, but still a big improvement. further south at the san mateo bridge, much better. and things are moving as well as on the bridge. let's go live outside at what it really does look like. this is the golden gate bridge. it looks terrific. it has been crowded all day long. the bridge district says it expects a 50% increase in traffic this weekend. >> let's check out the san mateo bridge. as i mentioned, it was slow most of the day, but right now, it looks like it's going near the limit. and bart says thousands of exfrom riders have instead hit the transit system since the upper deck had been closed. 17,000 more riders took bart today than on a normal

saturday. bart is run 24 hours through tuesday morning, but making stops at 14 stations during those overnight hours. stay with cbs 5, cbssf.com and kcbs radio for all the information you'll need getting around the closure this weekend. ♪ [ music ] ♪ [ music ] whitney houston's signature song, i will always love you, plays as her casket is taken out of the church following a 3

1/2 hour funeral. well, some of the biggest names in the entertainment world helped celebrate whitney houston's life and musical legacy today. there were tears among the tributes for the pop icon. manuel is in newark, new jersey, with more on the touching moments. manuel. >> well, whitney houston's loved ones came back to newark to the new hope baptist church earlier and it was a moving musical tribute one week after her death. >> whitney houston's friends and family swayed to the music of stevie wonder. in baptist tradition, it was not a day to mourn houston, but to return her home. a celebration of the pop icon's life in the church where she was discovered as a teenager. >> you wait for a voice like that for a lifetime. >> alicia keys wipe away tears before her emotional tribute.

♪ it's a long, long way to heaven ♪ >> and actor, kevin costner talked about moments only he and houston shared. >> the whitney i knew wondered, am i good enough? it was the burden that made mer great and the part that caused her to stumble in the end. >> houston's friend attended the service. he showed us the program filled with photos of the singer. >> all of us probably in the back of our mind wish we could have grabbed her and been closer. >> after the ceremony, fans were allowed to come back to the church to pay their respects. earlier, many were frustrated that they were kept blocks away. >> i want to feel like i'm a part of it and i'm six blocks away. it doesn't make any sense. >> bobby brown did come to the service briefly, but left the church in a dispute over seating arrangements. ♪ and i will always >> the final song was reserved for houston. i will always love you played while her casket was carried

from the church as her mother cried out, my baby. >> houston will be buried later today in a cemetery not far from here next to her father, john. the family doesn't want to say what time they are trying to keep it private. >> all right, let me ask you a question. houston's god mother was planning on singing at her funeral. but we heard she canceled because of health issues? >> yes, she was having issues. she said she was ill. she was really devastated to not be here. but apparently she was having some circulation issues. she said online in a posting. so she wasn't here. i thought there was a moment where i think she was about to be introduced and she stopped short. so maybe there was a miscommunication there. it seemed a little awkward for a moment. >> manuel in new jersey, thank you very much. ♪ [ music ]

whitney houston leaves a rich musical legacy behind with an impressive list of accomplishments. she won six grammy's. the only solo female artists to win 22 american music awards. the body guard sound track was the first album to sell more than a million copies in a single week. the single, i will always love you, was number one for 20 consecutive weeks. the record only beaten a few weeks ago by adele. houston's rendition of the star spangled banner at the 1991 super bowl is the only one to have sold over a million copies and she was a hit maker. she had seven consecutive number one hits and sold more than 170 million albums, singles, and videos worldwide. well, at a time when oakland is about to lay off a number of city employees, one department is hiring. the oakland police department has been under a lot of pressure to turn things around in the city. ann shows us who is looking to join. >> oakland isn't a bad place

to work. >> justin wants to be on the police force. some of the new positions will be rehires after 80 officers were layed off in 2010, but the department is hiring 40 trainees who has been looking at cop jobs in several cities. >> a lot of the times you will find they want a bachelor's degree or they want an academy graduate. >> education wise, all you need is a high school diploma. in order to get into the academy, you have to pass a written test, a physical test, even a polygraph. >> a workshop at merit college is aimed at helping recruits pass a written test before they have the chance at a real life test on the streets every day. in a city named one of the most dangerous in the nation. a lot of these recruits grew up in oakland. >> i love challenges. >> the police department is one of the few oakland agencies able to hire right now. dozens of city employees will be layed off on wednesday. but loses an average of four

officers per month. they either quit or retire. and now with $10.7 million of grant money, the city is able to afford to bulk up the force. >> i'm going to school. i'm getting physically fit for this. i feel like mentally, like i have the mentality to go out there and do my best and serve my community. >> at the end of the day, the police department has to do their job and protecting the city. keeping the city safe. keeping the peace. and whether they like it or not, that is something that will always stand over the city itself. >> in oakland, cbs 5. i just think that's sick. someone would do that. >> a girl found wandering naked in a neighborhood eating from trash cans. you will not believe why the girl says her mother took off her clothes. the battle for the white house is getting personal. what gop candidate, rick santorum, is saying about

president obama and his faith. it's the first step toward a lifetime of good habits in hard economic times. kids getting dental checkups for free. and the winds are dying down. temperatures are cooling overnight. how low are we going to get? plus, will we see rain in our weekend forecast? our holiday weekend forecast is coming up after the break.

it happened near pinew new tonight, there's been a shooting in the city of pleasant hill. it happened near pinewood park. we're hearing one person was shot in the chest and is currently in critical condition at john medical center in walnut creek. the police are currently going

house to house, searching for suspects. and less than three hours ago, two people were stabbed at east ridge shopping mall in san jose. doctors found two teens suffering life threatening stab wounds inside the mall. witnesses say they saw three men attacking the victims. the mall was shut down and evacuated. police have three people detained, but it's not clear if they are the attackers. >> a 12-year-old southern california girl is in protective custody after police found her naked and eating out of garbage cans. it happened in river side county. police responded to a 911 call and found the girl hiding in a bmw with tinted windows. the neighbors who called police say the girl was trying to cover herself with a floor mat from the car. >> an officer knocked on my door and asked me if i had seen an african american girl around 12 years old running naked

through the streets. and looking through trash for food. >> police say the girl told them her mother kept her nude in the car so she wouldn't go anywhere. the child's mother was arrested on charges of child endangerment. she works as a special education teacher's assistant at a nearby elementary school. >> rom republican presidential candidate is questioning president obama's religious values. santorum said the president's agenda is based on quote, not a theology based on the bible. obama campaign officials said santorum's comments represent a low point in the republican primary campaign filled with quote, distortions, ugliness, and pessimism. >> the president's campaign is focusing on santorum as a possible opponent rather than mitt romney. they are looking into santorum's background for

attack targets. remove the surge in the poll. romney still leads, but santorum had recent victories and polls show him leading in michigan. >> all right, so far, she's delivered us a very beautiful weekend and let's hope you can keep this up for the two more days. >> i know, ease pcially since all eyes are on the bay bridge. to reopen to reopen. it looks like we are staying dry, but we are getting cool. check out temperatures out the door right now. mostly in the 40s and 50s and temperatures are going to continue to drop overnight. we're expecting the clouds to decrease and the winds to decrease. pretty gusty winds this afternoon. we could see patchy valley fog and temperatures, yeah, they're going to be in the 30s to low 40s for the most part across the bay area. for tomorrow, we're looking at

partly cloudy skies, a sun cloud mix. similar to what we saw today. temperatures are going to be relatively cool. mostly in the 50s across the bay area. a little warmer inland with highs there in the upper os. 58 degrees. so checking our future cast. over the next 72 hours or so, it looks like we get a few clouds tomorrow. but for the most part, we're staying dry. we are going to keep some slight rain chances in here, mainly north of the golden gate. looks like sunday overnight into monday afternoon, but you can see for the most part by monday evening into tuesday, all that is cleared so as we get any rain at all, it's going to be a few sprinkles and mainly sunday night into monday. about midday or early afternoon. pinpoint forecast, your overnight lows are going to get chilly. 39 in concord and 37 in livermore. then for tomorrow, once again, mostly temperatures in the 50s. 57 in oakland. 59 in vallejo and 58 is your

forecasted high out in santa rosa. checking the forecast over the next several days. once we get through sunday and monday where we are keeping a slight chance of sprinkles. mainly north of the golden gate, and not enough to impact by the way, looks like the bay bridge project. then, check that out. tuesday through friday, we are going to see temperatures in our inland spots reaching into the 70s. not too bad. president's day forecast, chance of sprinkles, temperatures on monday should be in the 50s. after that, we are climbing. it will feel a little like spring. >> thank you much. more than 100 bay area children got a free dental checkup today. ucsf's school of dentistry held its smile for children clinic. the university has been a part of for five years. people came from all over the bay area. >> in a private office, if you go, it would be a lot of money

and can't beat free. free and all these new doctors are helping out. it's great. >> make an enormous difference if you start a kid in the right direction. they can have a healthy mouth for life. if not, they can have problems. >> 45 million americans do not have dental coverage. dental decay is one of the most conditions among children. from active duty to military museum. next, we'll show you the evolution of the uss iowa. export right here in the bay area, but not for long.

upper deck of the bay bridge. it's clearing up all over t take you back expowdz check on the traffic conditions, because the closure of the upper deck of the bay bridge, hey, it's clearing up all over the bay area, including the golden gate bridge, which has been sluggish until an hour ago. one of britain's greatest actresses has entered the world of darkness. diagnosed with macular degeneration. 77-year-old oscar winner tells

the daily that her eyesight is so bad that she cannot read scripts. instead, she relies on her daughter or friends to read to her. doctors are trying to save what is left of her sight. she says her mother also lost her eyesight. >> days are numbered. the uss iowa will leave the bay area in a few months for good. what's being done to make it a learning experience for everyone? >> walking on board the uss iowa, begins a journey in time. with its large guns, bridges, the 18 deck world war ii battleship is a living history lesson, brought to life by 87- year-old geoff. >> these fires are not turned from inside. they are only loaded in there. >> sharing his stairs from the iowa world war ii.

he is thrilled his vessel will get a makeover. >> i am, you better believe it. >> the iowa is being refurbished before making its final stop at port of los angeles. >> it's like going back to your mom's place. it's not really yours, but you know your way around. >> he spent two years aboard the vessel in the late 1980s. now he works at the ship's information technology director for the refer wishing project. >> we didn't have all of the communication equipment that we have available now. >> peter remembers the iowa and better days. he served in 1947. >> for a 17-year-old, it was quite an adventure. >> confusing, peter say, in part because of iowa's massive size. 887 feet. yet, even with its rusty hull

and deteriorating deck, the iowa manages to be a popular attraction. the cost of the repairs is expected to be $5 million. but preserving this history is priceless. in washington, cbs 5. >> notion car's season begins with a thrilling finish at daytona, then at 10:00.

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the third ranked stanford women beat oregon 81-46 to clinch their fourth straight conference title. kristen, start the clock. senior night in berkeley. jorge honored before the game. all five starters for cal

scored in double figures. the bears won to remain tied with washington for first place in the pack 12. usf, rashad green gets in the lane and hits the game winner with 3 seconds left. the third year in a row. >> forth ranked. the gails have lost back to back games for the fist time this season. diswhrt warriors up one in the final sections. ruby misses, but tony allen is there. the grizzlies win 104-103. phil mickelson and keagen are tied for the load at the northern trust open. and kyle bush edged tony stewart in a photo finish to edge a shootout. next week the super bowl. >> lock forward to that.

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