♪ in the news this sunday morning, december 26, a big snowstorm is stranding travelers up and down the east coast as airlines cancel hundreds of flights and amtrak parks its trains. and snow continues to pile up in the sierra as a bay area storm moves on. >> and, good morning, i'm meteorologist christine hanson. chilly temperatures and still some showers popping up here in the bay area. we'll have that coming up. >> happy holidays. i'm carolyn tyler. a massive east coast snowstorm has holiday travelers scrambling to find a with a to get where they want to go. many are just plain out of luck

as flights and amtrak service get cancelled due to weather. the storm brought snow this weekend as far south as atlanta. today it could dump 10 inches into d.c. before heading into new york and new england. delta airlines cancelled 300 departures out of its atlanta hub yesterday. >> you can't control the weather. and you just have to anticipate i think ahead the possibility that things can happen. >> this morning continental airlines has cancelled 250 flights out of newark, new jersey. that's the theme that's going to be repeated up and down the eastern seaboard. states of emergency have been declared this morning in maryland, virginia, and north carolina. in boston they're bracing for up to 20 inches of snow. a blizzard warning is in effect with wind gusts expected. frustrated holiday travelers at

boston's logan international airport. >> the melody at the airport is not matching the mood. >> i'm frustrated. >> merry christmas. thank you, delta. >> many flights are moving here but a host of others are getting scrapped. >> for whatever reason, only weather, no planes going into d.c. >> and our plan was to return to washington and spend the next four days with our son there. >> they're gonna put us on stand by but that cancelled. >> some quickly devised a backup plan. >> we're going to the amtrak station and doing the over-nighter to d.c. >> but even amtrak is cancelling southern routes. >> i was going to williamsburg but now the train is terminating in richmond, virginia. >> the only server for now is a car. >> our plans are to drive to new york. >> but it's not an option for many so they're loading their

bags... >> and preparing to get snowed in. >> once again, another christmas memory. >> well, those problems back east are sure to impact bay area airports as well. so our weather is improving after what was a very wet christmas day. the rain came down hard around the bay area yesterday pushing up creek levels and triggering a small stream flood advisory. this is downtown ross. the creek up a few feet but it stayed within its banks. in pacifica, high surf pounded the coastline. you can see the force of the winds at 50 plus miles per hour at times. high wind advisories at the bay bridge and san mateo bridge. the christmas storm also caused minor flooding on some bay area freeways. this is 101 in marin county. if you go further south on 101 at san francisco at paul avenue, standing water caused a major backup. so what is happening right now

out there? let's check in with our meteorologist christine hanson. >> caroline, we are still seeing some scattered showers and some pretty heavy downpours. you still will encounter that. most of the shower activity continues to move off to the east but then we look off to the west and we've got more showers popping up along the coast. we have some showers up along 101. we have some fog this morning in santa rosa. we've had some heavy downpours along interstate 80 and also 680. concord. and it's just going to be one of those days, hit and miss with a little sunshine in the forecast. enjoy our weather. we'll have more coming up. >> look forward to that. thank you, christine. more snow is falling in the sierra. interstate 80 drivers are required to put on chains at blue canyon which is around 5200 feet. the snow is slushy there. it's making for some slippery conditions. the week between christmas and new year's is typically one of the busiest times of the year for the tahoe ski resorts with a base of as much as 7 feet.

they have been doing big business this weekend. this is the caltran's camera at meyers in south lake tahoe. it shows highway 50 is open but you gotta have chains or snow tires. last night we recorded these scenes of the snow coming down at the entrance to squaw valley on tahoe's north shore. other news this morning, an investigation is underway after reports last night of a loud noise and smoke from an underground utility cover in san francisco's marina neighborhood. it happened around 5:00. pg&e says no one was hurt in the incident. it was near chestnut street. it was probably caused by an equipment failure. repair crews had to shut down a circuit which knocked 155 customers offline. a local dog owner got the best present of all after christmas, his missing dog brought home to him. abc 7's john allston reports. >> it feels like christmas finally.

we've been sitting here wondering where he's been. >> brad niece of oakland finally had his baby home. his one-year-old schnauzer clint who had been missing for more than a week. >> normal he has to sleep on his own dog bed. but he got to be up on the bed last night. >> now clint is reunited with four-year-old kevin, the other family schnauzer who was not so lucky after a contractor accidentally left the front door open. kevin turned up quickly but he had been kicked, beaten and shot with a pellet gun. little did anyone realize clint had been quickly discovered about a mile away by two brothers playing outside their grandmother's house near mcarthur boulevard. >> he came out of the bushes and we picked him up. we were feeding him chicken. my mom ohms the door. >> so their mother went to the computer and found the notice that brad placed on craigslist.

she saw the story on the news and called back with the help of her son. >> have to look at the collar he had on. asked him what collar color he had on. he described the collar, the dog. that's when we realized it was clint. >> even e-mailed a photo of clint through her cellphone. >> i looked at it and said that's clint. >> on christmas eve the reunion took place. >> it was touching. they were crying and thanking me and thanking the kids. the dog was lickin' 'em and there were hugs. the dog was crying, they were crying. >> it's the cheesy christmas miracle. you hear about these sort of stories and you never really think, you know -- you know someone that's been through something like this. but he literally showed up christmas eve. >> and our reporter john tells us kevin, the dog that was injured, is going to need another eight weeks of treatment before he's expected to fully recover. several animal groups in the east bay are offering a $12,000

reward to catch the person who hurt that dog. up next, ready for more shopping? need to exchange a gift? it all gears up today. it starts early. at least one store will open at 7:00 this morning. and later christmas in afghanistan. for a few moments, the thought of war is put aside to celebrate the holidays.

>> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. authorities in marin county have recovered the body of a man missing since falling off a

sailboat two weeks ago. 28-year-old casey speed of santa rosa reportedly fell overboard in richardson bay near tiburon while sailing with his wife the night of december 10th. search was hampered by bad weather and low visibility but friday night a bird watcher spotted speed's body on a low-tide island in strawberry. an autopsy is planned for tomorrow to determine how he died. los angeles firefighters got an unusual christmas delivery. a newborn baby. a woman in her thirties walked into a downtown fire station near exposition park on christmas eve and handed over her newborn daughter. the woman told firefighters she needed someone else to take care of the baby who was just six hours old. she wanted to put her up for adoption. firefighters have named the baby noel. mother and daughter were given matching i.d. bands in case the woman wants to reclaim her.

california law allows young children to be left at fire stations no questions asked. the malls will be filled with shoppers again today for the beginning of the post-christmas rush. besides the wave of returns, bargain hunters will be looking for those after-christmas sales. it should be pretty busy as a strong christmas eve helped bolster spectacular sales for retailers. some stores like best buy open very shortly, like 7:00 this morning. the national retail federation predict spending this holiday season will be up 3.3% from last year and internet sales are up 15.4%. people want to get out and about today, the weather will cooperate. >> we've got a little fog and scattered showers but overall i think we're going to settle into a drier weather pattern that will last into tomorrow. so even more opportunity to shop, get outside. here is sfo where it is partly cloudy right now.

we still have some wet streets and temperatures are in the 40s at 43 degrees out at the airport. the winds are fairly light. we're going to have your complete accu-weather 7 forecast. it does call for a day of dry weather. that's comin' up. >> thank you, christine. also ahead, a san francisco garage door becomes a place for people to leavevevevevevevevevee

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welcome back, everyone. time right now is 6:16. this is a live look showing you the golden gate bridge. light traffic this morning as expected. after all, it is early in the morning, and it is the day after christmas. most people staying at home enjoying family and friends. thanks for waking up with us this morning. a bay area homeowner has been letting people leave their christmas wishes for santa on his garage door. the home near sanchez and 16th streets in san francisco have white butcher paper plastered on the garage and then there's some markers. passersby from all over the bay area have filled it with messages. the homeowner says it's a way to encourage people to stop and smell the roses. celebrations begin today for the seven-day african american holiday kwanzaa.

it's a non-religious holiday started 45 years ago by african american leaders. it's swahili, it means the first fruits of the harvest. the holiday's designed to highlight and promote principles of united and self-determination. it's to recognize the cultural roots of all people of african decent. the season of giving had a good showing throughout the bay area this weekend. >> merry christmas! happen new year! >> the annual christmas meal at glide memorial church in san francisco was another mouth-watering success. 5,000 people were served turkey and all the trimmings with the help of over 500 volunteers. elsewhere people in need were fed and clothed. abc 7's thomas roman reports on the christmas day distribution. ♪ >> tenderloin residents and homeless are being treated to

soothing music at saint anthony's hall in san francisco. everyone received a hand-made scarf. >> we had scarves coming from australia, japan. we gathered over 70,000. >> they put out a web appeal last summer asking for handmade scarves for their seniors. they only asked for 2500. >> i think it's a way, a time when a lot of people are struggling, create something with their own hands and give to someone else in need. it's just this beautiful giving that people are doing. >> you got enough hands? >> firefighters from station 5 in the western edition are bringing dozens of toys donated by residents and businesses to the hamilton family residence center on hayes street. the children were just as surprised as their parents with the sudden bounty. he was especially pleased as were his parents. >> he's happy. he's having a good christmas. that's the important thing. >> i didn't get on any christmas lists this year. worried we wouldn't have much

for christmas but it's still been pretty good. >> more than two dozen children were given gifts their parents might not be able to afford. six of these children are crystal's. >> looking for a job. this helps out a lot. >> the firefighters of engine 1 have an interesting approach to the holidays. they use every emergency call as an opportunity to bring a smile to a child's face. after responding to a medical emergency, engine 1 firefighters began a hunt for children through the wet streets of the tenderloin, they stopped at golden gate and surprised children with toys. >> we cruise the tenderloin handing out toys to the kids. >> firefighters say they enjoy giving as much as the children enjoy receiving. in san francisco, abc 7 news. >> sweet. just the kind of story we like for the holidays. >> wonderful story.

5,000 meals. how do they do that! >> with the help of wonderful volunteers. >> 500 volunteers. that helps. a big shopping day i guess right after christmas. and so we are going to see some dry weather for a change. a few scattered showers but -- >> dry out? >> yeah, a little bit. let's go outside ballmer peak this morning looking back across the bridge and the embarcadero center. still in the holiday spirit with the lights and we'll continue to see that throughout the week. right now no scattered showers right in the vicinity, although we've had some heavier showers move through the area. right now a lot still piling up in the sierra and winter storm advisories remain in effect as well as chain requirements on both interstate 80 and highway 50. we've seen heavy showers develop in the foothills. you can see all that following interstate 80. snow on the west side of the sierra, over the mountain on the other side just some light snow and clearing skies in truckee

and south shore right now. looks pretty good. difficult traveling in the mountains. we've had our share of scattered showers this morning and they're just going to continue to pop up as cold air offshore continues to funnel in the morning hours. clearing skies by this afternoon. sunshine in our forecast. that will be with us through monday. and then early tuesday. by then we start to see some rain move into the north bay and that will spread over the entire bay area wednesday. some lingering perhaps into thursday and friday. right now it's chilly, novato 37. 40 santa rosa. quarter mile visibility. 48 napa. also some fog in spots as we see valley locations clear up. 44 degrees. standing water still this morning. we just haven't had a big chance to dry out from all that rain yesterday. a total about an inch of rain north of the gate and then around the bay we saw about a half inch in south bay locations. about a third of an inch. that's our storm system that's sitting offshore now and that

cold system will move offshore throughout the morning hours. but this is what's ahead for the week. another system for tuesday, wednesday. even more out in the pacific. this storm did move through southern california but not producing the heavy rain that we saw earlier in the week. heaviest rain will be more scattered showers still north of san francisco. but -- and up over the hills we've got a few scattered showers but as the day goes on, most of that shifts off to the east of us and then by this evening we start to see clearing skies tomorrow morning, mostly dry, although ground fog, there's a next storm system knocking on the door and that will be here next tuesday. calling for breaks in all the overcast and the shower activities that we have seen so much of but still some scattered showers and throughout the afternoon hours most of that will be centered down south of san francisco along the peninsula into the south bay. and across into the east bay. 53 our forecast high in antioch. 48 degrees in clear lake.

50 santa rosa. that means -- ukiah. 55 santa rosa, 54 san rafael. 56 morgan hill. mostly dry conditions. 58 gilroy. we've had some patchy, dense fog south and monterey bay 58 degrees. your accu-weather forecast, we promised you one dry day. and that's about it. we are going to see the rain and wind pick up once again tuesday and wednesday and linger into thursday and yet another stimulate friday and saturday. all of this could add up to -- especially north of san francisco -- anywhere from 2 to 4 inches of rain before the week is up. just continues to keep us on our toes. >> quite a soaking. thank you, christine. coming up at 7:00 is "good morning america." and dan harris is joining us live now from new york. dan, i know the weather's gotta be one of the top stories. i'm a fortunate person.

i just barely managed to get out of atlanta last night. >> you're absolutely right, carolyn. good morning to you. coming up on "good morning america," we're going to talk a lot about the weather. it was a white christmas throughout the south as you know through recent travels and that same storm barreling up the east coast through the travel rush. how much snow will there be, what's the travel forecast? how will it impact people out west? full coverage at 7:00. the snow arrives right after the post-christmas shopping bing begins. advice on everything from where to find the biggest and best deals to how to return those unwanted gifts with minimum hassle. also this morning with new year's just days away, it is time, of course, to take a look back at the year that was. which events and which people shaped 2010. we're going to do the whole thing in just three minutes with our john berman. and we have opened our weekend windows. amazing places over the past year. this morning we're going to

revisit our greatest hits and incredible spots around the world. all coming up next on "good morning america." back to you. >> same to you. happy holidays. we'll look for you at 7:00. >> appreciate it. >> thank you. let's check out sports. the warriors delivered a christmas present from fans with a come from behind performance on national tv. >> good morning. christmas day before a national tv audience is a bit of an honor. last night against portland, the warriors tried to show they deserve the spotlight. jeff curry back in the spotlight after missing the last six games with a sprained ankle. monta ellis the star of the show. rocked the rim with his one-hand jam. monta baseline, finishes with the reverse. 24 in the first half. portland had 21 more rebounds than golden state. dante's lived by 6 with 6 to play. but the war years come back with an 11-0 run.

for the slam, that puts golden state up by 2. monta provided the finishes touches. the steal and the hoop. he had a game-high 39. the warriors win their second straight 109-102. it was a rocky game for the definding champs. delivers the two-hand jam. he had 18. the heat led by 9 at the half. the lakers tried to get back in the game. paul for the alley-oop. they were no match for miami. lebron james beat the shot clock. he had a triple double 27 points, 11 rebounds. the heat win 96-80. kobe bryant with 17 points. orlando was hoping to snack the celtic's 14-game win street. kevin garnet with a flash and two of his team high 22. the celtics left by as much as 12. rally behind the defense. rejects paul pierce. that's worth one more look.

he had five blocks. with the game tied late, nelson comes up with the big three. 86-78 was the final. the magic in boston, its first loss since november 21st. despite a 5-9 record, the 49ers still in the playoff race. if they lose today in st. louis, they will finally be eliminated. san francisco knocked off the rams thanks in part to a defense that held steven jackson to 89 yards rushing. the rams' dynamic runningback. >> you know, we got the only team in the league been able to stop the run. so the challenges we face. >> for the raiders to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, they must beat the colts this afternoon while the chiefs have to lose to tennessee. for the first time in eight years, oakland appears ready to

complete with the amc elite. revamped all this behind hue jackson's creative touch, the nfl's top ten in total losses. >> missed and dropping that game. i think we've grown in a lot of areas and come a long ways. >> the cowboys and cardinals aren't going to the playoffs but they did have center stage last night. john off roy williams. gregory toller brings it back 66 yards for a touchdown. it was the cardinal's second pick 6 of the quarter. arizona opens up a 23-3 lead. brought the cowboys back with under two minutes left. it's mcgee and miles off. dallas let 26-24 but missed the extra point. that would be huge because a 48 yard field goal gives the cardinals a 27-26 victory. and that is sports for a sunday morning. i'm rick qwan.

i'll see you again tonight at 5:00. >> coming up next at 6:30, we'll check world headlines. american tourists among the dead in a bus crash in egypt. more on the east coast snowstorm. people have been stocking up on supplies preparing for this morning's big storm. plus southern california may be getting a

welcome back, everyone. the northeast is bracing for a winter snowstorm that's already blanketed the south yesterday forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights out of atlanta. this morning snow is falling in north carolina and headed for the northeast where up to 2 feet of snow is expected. abc's cheyenne rodriguez reports from raleigh, north carolina,

where the snow started falling overnight. >> once the darkness settled in, the snow started coming down in wake county, lightly at first then heavier. the dot checked the roadways at the first sign of snow. they sprayed brine on the highways, now they wait and see what will accumulate. crews spend time with family before heading out. >> attached, the salt and sand spreaders in the trucks loaded, keys in the ignition, trucks fuelled up and ready to go. >> the crews came in 4 p.m. the command center up and running with traffic cameras all around. >> this is how we plan and prepare. we use the best information we have available. we watch many different weather prediction sources and try to get the best consensus we can what to prepare for. >> retailer briggs hardware opened their doors in raleigh today in case anyone needed snow shovels, lamps and firewood. >> meanwhile it is raining again

in southern california. flood advisories in effect for a number of cities in l.a. county. cleanup efforts continue following the devastating storms last week with heavy flooding and mudslides that caused tens of millions of dollars in damages. but there may be a break in the weather with forecasters predicting the rains will stop later today. that would certainly be good news. well, arrests for driving under the influence in the bay area are up this holiday season compared with last year. the california highway patrol says police made 40 dui arrests between christmas eve and yesterday. that's one more than for the same period last year. the good news, there have been no fatalities during the holiday enforcement period. that was also true last year. some 258 dui arrests have been made statewide. eight american tourists have died, 21 others have been injured in a bus accident in egypt. the bus they were riding in crashed into a truck in southern

egypt early this morning. they were en route to visit the site of an ancient egyptian temple. the injured were first transferred to a nearby military hospital, then they were airlifted to cairo. road accidents are pretty common in egypt because of bad roads and lax traffic rules. last month eight foreign tourists were killed in another bulls accident. in october six belgian tourists died in a crash. this weekend the town of bethlehem is seeing its biggest holiday crowds in years. israeli military officials say more than 100,000 pilgrims and tourists have poured into the west bank town since christmas eve. that's twice as many as last year. the town's hotel rooms are booked solid for the week. they attended mass at bethlehem's church of the nativity. worshippers packed the roman catholic church where the traditional site of jesus' birth is enshrined.

another bout of violence in the middle east. killed two suspected palestinian terrorists today. a helicopter gunship attacked the two as they were trying to plant an explosive device in southern gaza. along the border where israeli soldiers patrol. palestinians gathered at the scene and they ran when gunshots were heard. tensions are increasing again along the border after two years of relative calm that came when israel invaded gaza to prevent palestinian rocket attacks. now excalculating who is tilts against israel. while many of us travel for christmas, we remember those far from home for another reason. men and women that serve in the armed forces. spent christmas day with the 101st airborne in afghanistan. >> merry chris. >> soldiers from the 101st airborne task force destiny so

far from home relished a reminder of home, this case a lavish display filled with christmas favorites. (inaudible) >> most of the soldiers have served multiple deployments and many christmases. the food helps and so does the man. >> it's great. (inaudible) >> and following army tradition, enlisted men who take orders gave orders for food to their officers who manned the buffet line. >> their minds are always to their families and their loved ones back home. but they're also fully knowing that they're in the presence of their families here as well. >> then it was back to war.

destiny, the 101st combat aviation brigade has two more months here and a lot of war still to fight. abc news, camp wolverine, afghanistan. >> lots of weather issues elsewhere. in atlanta the first snow, first white christmas since the 1800s. >> and now we've got that heavy snow moving up into the northeast and all kinds of flights have been cancelled. here we're starting to see as things calm down a bit but still chain requirements in the sierra. outside now with a live picture from emeryville. you can see the lights of the city. we still have the scattered showers but we're going to see a little sun today. i'll tell you how long that's going to be with us in your complete forecast ahead. >> also ahead, powerful winds sweep through the southehehehehe

>> powerful winds have been in the san joaquin valley in bakersfield. knocked down about 30 power poles yesterday. some snapped right off. as pg&e crews worked to repairs the damage, some 700 customers were without power on christmas day. recent rain soaked the base of the poles causing them to weaken and break when the winds kicked up this weekend. so we have had some wild weather. >> everywhere. very few people escaping this winter weather. let's go outside because we're going to show you a picture of some breaks in all of that. we promised you a little sunshine today. sunrise 7:24. we'll see a little sun mixed with clouds and sill scattered showers. but this is an hd picture for you from the embarcadero and the bay bridge in the background. so holiday shoppers, it will be dry for part of the day today. if you're heading up to the

sierra to enjoy some of our fabulous ski conditions, we still have chain requirements on 80 and on 50 although we've seen so many snow. some -- once you get off the west side of the sierra and into the valley we're starting to see things clear up just a bit there but you can see really how it's all piling up as it hits the west side of the sierra. and this morning you see our live shot from the embarcadero. shows san francisco clear but then we've still got some scattered showers moving off and up over the hills and more moving into the north bay just along 101. so that will continue off and on throughout the morning hours with just some sun. our break isn't going to be a very long one. by tuesday we expect more rain and that will start in the north bay and sweep across the entire bay area. wednesday and lasts maybe all through the rest of the week, the holiday week. a little fog here and there where we see some clearing skies. 37. chilly novato, 40 santa rosa, 48

napa, 44 fairfield. cordelia, 45 fremont this morning, redwood city 43. a full 10 degrees chillier than yesterday. cold air continues to follow the storm system that brought us that dumping midday yesterday afternoon with up to an inch of rain north of the bay. around the bay about a half inch and a third of the inch areas to the south. there's that cold band that's still offshore and that's indicated right here on the satellite image. all this cold unsettled weather is moving in our direction as the storm track is really directed right over northern and central california and we'll continue to see that weather develop beginning monday. today we still show some scattered light showers. mostly 80 north. you can see northern california will see most of that. still some scattered showers for the south bay as this system moves in later this afternoon early evening but then clearing skies overnight tonight. a dry day on monday through much

of the state and then the next storm system beginning to move in by late monday night into early tuesday morning for the north bay. 55 our forecast high today. again, some scattered showers and most of that as you can see from our accu-weather time frame did show most of that moving off to the south of us. santa cruz, half moon bay, palo alto all in the mid-50s. and south bay locations will also see a possibility of some scattered showers. but also clearing skies and some sunshine with highs in the mid to upper 50s. and the accu-weather 7-day forecast, kind of a wet, windy week and chilly temperatures, snow in the sierra, more snow in the sierra. we could see anywhere from another 2 to 4 feet of snow by this time next weekend. >> my goodness! >> rain, too. goes without saying. the snow has to start with rain here first. >> thank you, christine. well, we know that you already count on abc 7 news for coverage of the issues and stories that matter to you.

and now all the information you depend on from us is available on your i-pad. here's abc 7's dan ashley with the details. >> this is the abc 7 news i-pad app now available on i-tunes. >> and we are very proud because we're the first station in the bay area to release an i-pad-specific app and it offers great features. or weather. >> the abc 7 news i-pad app has everything you want from abc 7 news and abc7news.com. >> michael finney is here. >> you can also watch slide shows of hot topics or check in on facebook.com. >> this app is really unique because we're going to offer live streaming video and breaking news situations. >> whether it's online, on air, on your mobile device or on the i-pad, abc 7 news halls your world covered. >> the i-pad being such a popular device with bay area residents, we're really excited

to offer this. >> the abc 7 news app is free. all you need do is search for abc san francisco at the app store to download it. up next a bay area drive-in theater is making a comeback where others have failed. up next a second

lots of lotions promised healing. this one actually does it. [ female announcer ] gold bond ultimate healing lotion. nothing feels like it, smel like it, heals like it. gold bond. this stuff really works. new figures show a dramatic increase in the past 20 years in the number of women giving birth early. that's according to california watch, a project of the nonprofit independent center for investigative reporting. here's abc 7's health and science reporter carolyn johnson. >> pregnant women in america are giving birth a week earlier than they were in 1992. that's the finding of california

watch reporter nathaniel johnson. >> 10,000 bc to 1992 it's pretty much been the same. >> the normal length of a pregnancy is 40 weeks. according to researchers and the data compiled at center for disease control and prevention, the average is 39 weeks, a full seven days earlier. >> it's undoubtedly true, that there is a decrease, a general decrease to birth in america. >> dr. elliot is at the california medical in san francisco. he's the director of the california maternal care collaborative, a group that evaluating best practices for delivering babies. he says a full-time pregnancy is defined at 39 to 41 weeks. the week of pregnancy lost in the last 20 years is probably not having a significant impact on the health of most infants. >> what we are telling all our mothers is that you really ought to wait till 39 weeks if

everything is going fine and not intervene earlier than nature would intend. >> one increase in early delivers may be because women are scheduling childbirth for convenience. one study of nearly 18,000 delivers in 2007 show 19.6% of early births were scheduled c-sections. that may explain some of the early delivers. others maybe a matter of better care. >> we're doing a much better job of identifying the true due date with ultrasounds. we no longer have mothers going three or four weeks past their due date. >> now encouraging doctors not to deliver babies early including the american congress of obstetricians and the march of dimes. >> this is something kind of everybody has known about for a long time and now they're finally saying, okay, we should do something about this. >> carolyn johnson, abc 7 news. >> and you can read more of the california watch report tomorrow in the san francisco chronicle or online at

californiawatch.org. when was the last time you went to a drive-in movie? have you ever been to a drive-in movie? well, abc 7's wayne friedman was asked to reprize some of his favorite stories of 2010 and he found this one at a concord drive-in last summer. >> in an era of digital bits, multisurround sound and 24/7 streaming let's not underestimate the safe and seductive lure of going retro. they are entering a time warp in what appears to be a thriving antique, the resurrected solano drive-in theaters in concord. >> we came here, tried the projector and it still worked and thought what the heck, let's try it again. >> no, no, no. no experience like the drive-in. once you've gone to the drive-in, you get hooked. >> if it's retroin looks, it's really retroin staff. >> that comes with a free refill. >> linda went on her first date

here, her husband proposed to her here. >> did anything else begin here you want to talk about? >> no! (laughter) >> but your re, she did go into labor watching a movie here and now that little girl has grown up to be the manager. >> at home she's mom and at work for the sake of work we have to say first names. >> when she started, i was her boss. >> drive-in movies peaked in the 1950s and '60s. back then there were 272 screens in california alone. now only 18 remain. is this a revival? or a requiem. >> a mobile car culture, a time of technicolor dreams and a land of plenty. but that was then. >> what happened to them? >> well, they've pretty much turned into a cemetery, a trailer park or a wal-mart at this point. >> go to a drive-in these days,

and you're likely to find a corrugated screen flapping in the screen, a dead-end derelict waiting for bulldozers and subdivisions. remember at island movie in alameda? long gone. same for the parkway in petaluma which used to flood anyway. >> it's a driving range now. >> an inevitable victim of entertainment evolution. not only did dan build the parkway, 35 years later he sold it and put the money into multiplexes. drive-ins he says cannot compete with 14 simultaneous screens drawing 3,000 people a day in one 45,000 square foot building. >> as opposed to a drive-in movie theater with 15 acres and one screen. >> which makes the solano theater resurrection all the more remarkable. summer weeknights this swelled with bargain hunters that played $6.75 a head. all the gluttonous gourmet delights such an evening demands

and then they settle in. >> outdoors sitting on a truck. >> at the drive-ins these days forget those window speakers of old, now it arrives via your car radio. curl up, relax, bring a blanket. >> comfortable? >> yeah! >> perhaps this proves what goes around really does sometimes come back around. vintage, time warp, prime evil, enduring. or maybe the lure of a drive-in is embedded in our collective dna. whatever. >> is this any way to watch a movie? it's what we were doing before you got here! >> the drive-in. not dead, still flickering. from concord, wayne friedman, abc 7 news. >> a bay area band that's been making great music for decades performs tonight. ♪

>> up next, don sanchez sits down with members of tower of power for a look

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now the yoplait you love in a new four pack. try it today. >> the east bay band tower of power with sold-out gigs at yoshis in oakland. a true suck sells story in its 42nd year. don sanchez sat down with three of the musicians and gives us a taste of that east bay sound. ♪ >> what is hip? surely tower of power forever. same song in 1977. faces may change over the years, but this band has been together for 42 years. mick joined in 1968 when they were called the gotham city crime fighters. >> batman and robin. our first single was who stole

the batmobile. it was not a big hit. >> gillette's original drummer and they met at yoshi. the neighborhood is familiar. >> we've played up the street at beyond broadway. used to play there -- monday and tuesday night? >> monday and tuesday night. >> the famous name joins us. ♪ >> it's that unique sound. the horn section with a bit of soul, jazz, funk. >> everybody says the tower of power is the horn band. and it is a horn band but really it's all coming from the rhythm section. >> what to hit, where to hit it and how hard to hit it. ♪ >> they almost broke up in 1970 before auditions with bill graham. he was blown away and signed them immediately. >> kind of a cull band where our bands are some of the most loyal people on the planet. >> got caught up in what turned out to be destructive times. >> not alcoholics anymore.

we learned the hard way. >> learned drugs and alcohol are simply not worth it. >> because it isn't happening and we just love playing music, all that energy goes into the music. >> it's a little late. this engagement is sold out but tower of power will be back february 12th, 13th and 14th. tower of power, music icon. you have to wonder why they're not in the rock and roll hall of fame. i'm don