this morning to on them. arizona governor brewer responds on twitter facing national pressure to veto a controversial anti-gay measure. it is 6:00. >> our top story is the rain and how we just had a taste of it. the main course is on the way. mike? >> some of it is offshore. we are tracking it with live doppler 7 hd and the sprinkles are falling. it could be time to get the umbrella out. live doppler 7 hd shows the light-to-moderate radar returns around brentwood and discovery bay but most of the bay is cleared out. we will focus on what is coming our way from the southwest with lightning and thunderstorms is where they will develop over the ocean and push our way and weaken. we could get thunder today and

brief heavy down pours in between the waves of light-to-moderate rain. our biggest cells are to marin and sonoma an hour to two hours arrest, here is the day planner today from the east bay hills, sprinkles and lit -- and light rain and heavy showers and thunderstorms will roll in before lunch through the evening commute which is much tougher than the morning commute. leyla gulen? >> we were talking to a tweet this morning and thank you, nelson, for checking with us. he usually takes the ferries and says a couple of sprinkles are falling. a wide picture shows the area of green are sprinkles that will affect the commute over san francisco and the bay bridge and the east bay we have an area over the altamont pass. this sig-alert westbound 580 at

highway 32 a big rig carrying strawberries over turned. the sig-alert is in effect until further notice. takes it easy at 41 minutes tracy to dublin, and antioch to concord is 21 minutes. the bay bridge toll plaza lights now are on and traffic is stacking from the maze. more on the storm watch coverage. a tree came tumbling down on a fence and parked cars in morning could be a sign of what is ahead when the storm really hits. the tree fell before 3:00 a.m. but it missed the house on the corner lot near the freeway entrance. on the peninsula residents are ready for a pair of storms with sandbags available including this sand begin station in east palo alto.

residents are concerned about flooding with 50 percent of all storms sitting in the flood zone. this week last overflowed christmas of 2012. >> the challenge is the water coming to the creek into the city is coming from the santa cruz mountains and it is hard to monitor. >> improvements have been made on the levees but only temporary fix. >> the sandbags are up in mill valley at the club on miller avenue. the stretch of businesses was flooded not big storm that hit two weeks ago and when there is a high tide or heavy rain another creek rises and floods the area. business owners blame faulty storm drain the city refuses to fix they say. in addition to the weather team we have another way to keep an eye on the rain follow live doppler 7 hd on twitter with the latest bay area weather

conditions. happening today in santa cruz police unveil a memorial honoring two veteran murdered officers a year ago. matt keller is at police headquarters with a preview. >> you can see the plaques are covered and will be unveiled at the dedication ceremony at the police department. this has been a tough year for the city dealing with the tragedy. last year a community remember an was held at city hall that includes music and a vigil and moment of silence exactly a year ago when the sergeant butch baker and detective butler were shot and killed during a sexual assault investigation. the suspect was shot and killed by police later that day. sergeant baker and detective butler are the first officers killed in the line of duty in the hit of the 9 police department. >> we still mourn butch and elizabeth and feel their absence

you here because you, too, were touch by their passing and feel a kinship with our amazing santa cruz police department. two of the children attended last night's event but his daughter did not. she is threatening to sue over how a memorial fund is divided delay the distribution of 500,000 to the two families. the memorial garden dedication is scheduled to start at 10:30 this morning. the nation's eyes are on arizona's governor controversial for the illegal immigration crackdown. the bill pits gay rights against religious freedom. katie marzullo is in the newsroom with more. >> the governor needs to make the decision by saturday night and show has not said which way she is leaning but she tweeted "i assure you as always i will do the right thing for the state

of airs." it allows business owners who have religious beliefs to refuse service to gays. john mccain and romney tweeted their opposition. some technical companies are opposed including apple want as veto with plans to open a 2,000 job high-tech plant and the c.e.o. of san francisco yelp where a letter to the governor saying every consumer has a right to be shed by a bows without fear of discrimination. there are constituents on both sides. >> this is wrong. what message do we send? >> this is not about hate but the protection of religious rights. >> the super bowl is on the line set to be layed in phoenix with the nfl policies emphasizing tolerance and inclusiveness. there is widespread speculation the governor will veto the bill.

>> a picnic table led a teen to fall and slip 250' down a cliff. this is in forest hill. the sheriff says that the 17-year-old was trying to move the picnic table near the side of a cliff and he slipped and went over the edge. a firefighter was lowered down to lit the teen up. the 17-year-old remains hospitalized with a head injury but is expected to recover. new details with a petaluma slaughterhouse accused of processing meat that were unhealthy after rawing 8 million pounds of beef. sources say that the company is accuses of killing and selling meat from dairy cows with eye cancer and the company was buying sick cows chopping off the heads to avoid detection by inspectors and selling the haiti. it is illegal but experts say it

is fought likely to make people sick and no illnesses have been reported. mike nicco is on the roof in the almosts and that is why you are a meteorologist and we are warm and dry. >> i enjoy walking the sprinkles with the light rain in san francisco. my umbrella is out. grab yours. i will show you the best radar runs, oakley and all this area right now and moving through the east bay hills along highway 4 north lafayette to pleasant hill and benicia and concord and that area will get more in the way of organized rain, the yellows mean well get more. in the south bay, clouds with sprinkles. the winds are light the they starting to pick up. we will be gusting around 20 to

25 and when thunderstorms roll in toward the noon hour we will start to hit the 25 to 45-miles-per-hour gusts and that will be with us through the evening and taper overnight when the heavy it of the showers do the same. >> we need the umbrellas now to slow down our speeds and we have a couple of crashes to get you going in the 6:00 hour, westbound 580 we have a lane blocked. i doesn't sound like there are injuries and we are slow. we had sprinkles falling in that area. highway 4 that is where we have another accident blocking one lane and slow-and-go approaching 242. 280 away from highway 17 a few extra cars northbound are the headlights headed into cupertino . >> move over lebron james, the nba player now topping the miami

heat star when it comes to jersey sales and he has not scored a point. >> first, pope ben dick has pressure to resign and he is responding.

of the besis that mia is that millions of people will qualify for financial assistance.

it's important to remember that the lower your annual income, the greater financial assistance you will receive. enroll today at coveredca.com. covering cupertino, wipe country and all bay area this is abc7 news. >> drive carefully there is rain in the bay area. this is interstate 680 and walnut creek area with the taillights head southbound traffic is moving along. >> missouri has execute add man who abducted, raped, and killed a kansas city teen nearly 25 years ago. the 47-year-old michael taylor

died of three that will injection after midnight. federal courts and the gaffe -- governor refused appeals say the drug could cause him inhumane pain and suffering. the victim, 15 year old was waiting for her school bus in 1989 and she was abducted. tailored offer no final statement. >> retired pope benedict is iting the record straight that he was pressured to resign in a letter to a newspaper, he says the decision to resign was his alone. this is a week after another fund reported he was pressured to resign by a group of cardinals opposed. he also is defending his decision to continue wearing a white cloth usually worn say are there are no other clothes available. friday is the first anniversary his resignation.

bank of america is face new probes into the housing and foreign exchange practices saying in filing the prosecution is investigating if they have complied with government rules on north insurance on loans and they are looking into the quality of the loans passed along to fannie mae and freddie mac and has paid billions in legal claims. >> arizona becomes the center of a new gay rights controversy a just released poll shows american attitudes to the lgbt community has changed. a poll shows 53 percent of the country now support same-sex marriage up 21 points from a decade ago. the poll found someones with twice as likely to support same-sex marriage if they have personally ties to an lgbt person. >> becoming the first openly gay player in the nba jason collins

has the top-selling jersey in the league. collins number 98 jersey is the top seller on nba.com and is beating out lebron james and durant. he is wearing 98 in honor of matthew shepard killed in 1998. you may want to dig up old s.a.t. scores if you are looking for a job. some companies asking for scores from the senior sales and management hiring saying this helps when comparing candidates with different backgrounds but the company that administers this say the exam is designed mostly to predict first-year college success and in studies have been done on how scores could predict job success. >> it come when more and more colleges are not requiring the s.a.t.'s.

>> now, how are the rain totals? mike? >> very impressive. can i borrow your fly filibustering gear, eric? i need some some hip waders. i am watching the storm coming to san francisco with orange in it on live doppler 7 hd and with the wind blowing out we will have sideways, light-to-moderate rain. live doppler 7 hd shows the first batch moving law and another batch of yellow developing along highway four north of san pablo to martinez and vallejo and this system is the one i am talking about that will head to san francisco possibly clip pacifica and headed to san rafael and mill valley and sausalito and that whole area. expect the next half hour or 20

minutes the light rain will become heavy but still tracking thunderstorms over the ocean. we are starting to see waves develop but notice the visibility is high so we are not dealing with anything in the way of heavy rain. the winds are coming from the south and pick up at ten miles per hour but expect them to get faster headed through the morning. san jose is locking dry. heavy rain and breezy conditions before lunch and through the afternoon. we will have another batch earlier on friday morning law the early afternoon and scattered showers are possible thursday and saturday. the cold front is trying to push in right now with the second part of the storm coming in with a cold pocket of air bringing more unstable air mass with the possibility of heavier rain and lightning and thunder and small hail in the afternoon and evening. with the brief heavy rain urban

flooding is a possible. that doesn't mean we are not going to have rain for the day, but it will come down with the heavy sports are short-lived causing the hazardous driving conditions through the evening. wake up tomorrow morning with left over light rain and watch the shows taper after lunch tomorrow afternoon when it will be dry. the seven-day forecast is 1" to 3" of rain around the bay to the valleys and 2" to 5" in the mountains. if you are headed out to bart we have 50 bat -- bart trains on time and muni is running on time with no delays for the bay ferries. you can see the green is indicating where the sprinkles are falling. we have a couple of problems in dublin at the interchange with the first as we open up the scope you can see we have an accident westbound 580 blocking

one lane and it is causing a pinch in the commute. on the dublin interchange northbound 680 we have unknown debris blocking one lane and the san mateo bridge shows a stalls vehicle block one lane with signs showing upcoming stalled vehicle blocking one lane causing a slow down so you can see the traffic is building across the water. >> a northern california business is taking personal display of affection to the next level. hugs for hire. but, first, file of the leading ladies in hollywood are vying for gold all with something in common. [announcer] welcome to the all-new intuit quickbooks. run your entire business with quickbooks. get paid however you want with it.

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the countdown to oscars is four days away. the competition for best actress is extremely tough this year. >> katie marzullo tells us all the nominees have been awarded oscars but one. >> all of the leading ladies this year have one thing in common: four of the five have

the gold statue at home. >> surprise and honor. >> kate won best supporting in 24 devour for "aviator." >> sandra bullock was "blind side." did i earn this or wear you down? >> judy dench for "best supporting actress." >> and meryl streep. up a record 18 nominations and three wins. >> half of america is going, oh, no. come on. her? the only nominee that hasn't won

is amy adams but she celebrated her fifth nomination for "american hustle." >> she does shine in "american hustle," but it will be difficult to be kate would won several and both took home a golden globe. >> katie marzullo for abc7 news. >> we are the oscar station and katie marzullo will be in los angeles covering the academy award starting on friday on abc7 news. >> we are the only place where you can see the oscars on sunday with our coverage starting at 2:00 p.m. on "countdown to oscar sunday," for a printable ballot so you can choose the winners. oscar sunday is this sunday

right here. >> the morning news continues at:30 with the top stories. >> including the communities now asked to double down on water conservation and water leaders say they have no choice. >> rain coming. people are preparing. we will show you how. >> live doppler 7 hd shows i am standing on the rooftop and it is about to get heavier in san francisco. i am leyla gulen and at look at the bay bridge toll plaza where the cash-paying lanes are loading up. we are starting to see glistening roads causing a problem with a few accidents.

live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. good morning on wednesday with a look at traffic headed westbound. this is eastern span of the bay bridge where lots of taillights possibly indicating slower

commute because of the sprinkles of light rain arriving in the bay area. autumn umbrella will help the top half but with the wind blowing you are not going to stay dry from the waist down. dress accordingly. on live doppler 7 hd you can see we are more active with more yellow developing. and moving over to mill valley and sausalito and toward pacifica you are about to get wet and south san francisco and daly city, about to see an uptick in the light rain and oakland has light rain across highway four and light-to-moderate radar returns to martinez and vallejo so get ready for light rain through the

morning and the heavier showers will move in at noon and thunderstorms, heavy rain at times, through the evening hours, getting slick in some spots but no ponding as we will have this evening. >> leyla gulen? >> hopefully the windshield wipers are in good working order. northbound 680 one lane is blocked. there are no delays but southbound there a slow down leaving highway 84. westbound 580 at 132 in tracy, there is a big rig carrying strawberries overturned and we have crews. it will take some time. the sig-alert is in effect until further notice. i-5 to 205 reconnected you to 580 and you be on way to the amount pass but it will be slow. tracy to dublin is an hour

westbound direction. highway four is slow at 33 minutes and 101 is 21 minutes from san rafael to san francisco. walnut creek is 11 minutes to highway 24. >> our storm watch coverage continues in the north bay where we find amy hollyfield with the preparations. rain is coming in. amy? >> the rain started to fall in mill valley and joe's tacos is ready with sandbags stockpiled and ready, along with the 2 a.m. club. look what happened to them three weeks ago during the last summer. all of miller avenue floods when it rains and the 2 a.m. club had to close early on a saturday night and was closed all day sunday. joe's taco closed because of the

watered that had to cleaned. the business owners are frustrateed because there is flooding with heavy rain. they are tireed of that. mostly people are celebrateing the rain because it will help but it will not get us back to where we need to be but we will be celebrating and appreciating it. >> people are ready for the rain on the peninsula, sand balancings are available in several areas including this station in east palo alto. residents are concerned about the flooding with 50 percent of homes in a flood zone. officials will be monitoring the creek during the storm for any sign of a flash flood. >> many of us have been hoping for rain and we want to see your

weather photos and video at ureport@kgo-tv.com or post them on our abc7 news facebook page. despite the rain, california is facing a drought. to million people in the bay area are asked to cut water use by 20 percent. the santa clara water district approved the conservation efforts an increase from the 10 percent cut set by the board last month. the district is the largest water provider in the south bay that serves 13 cities and water retailers, water officials say the cut is necessary because local reservoirs are only at 33 percent capacity and the state recently ended water imports into the area. san francisco police are investigating a possible assault discovered after the victim was picked up by an uber car service driver. it happened after midnight. the driver of an uber car picked

up two passengers downtown and proceeded to the neighborhood near church and valley streets and realized a man was bleeding and called police. the passenger was taken to san francisco john hospital and reported in critical condition. >> the highway patrol is investigating a fatal accident involving a person walking on interstate 280 on the southbound side of the freeway in daly city last night. the person was struck by a car. the c.h.p. closed down throw lanes while officers investigating the we -- the accident. >> state and local lawmakers want to solve a language problem had ill can up during the flight conflict -- asiana flight 214 at sfo. there will be a news conference to throw support behind a measure to make more interpreters available in a major emergency saying

passengers and families in the crash in gel encountered language barriers. the u.s. government fined them 500,000 for failing to contact the families in a timely manner. >> arizona governor is back in her home state this morning and has until midnight to decide whether to sign or veto a bill prompting a debate on gay and religious rights. she has been in washington, dc, no a governors conference. a bill was passed to allow bun business owners to deny business to gays. romney is urging the governor to veto the bill. the countdown to the regular season officially begins this afternoon with the a's and giants in the opener. the first game of spring training brings an end to the

darrylly workouts. but buster and angel will wait until friday to make their spring debuts. >> and the first pitch is at 12:05 at scottsdale stadium. >> santa cruz is marking the dark of the days. the bad news for target will not stop. again it is all because of the massive credit card breach. you can see the clouds packing some moisture with lots of precipitation rain coming to the bay area with traffic and weather continues

on the roof it is raining. the umbrella is out. the windshield wipers are on. leyla gulen will remind you to have your lights on. later today, golden gate bridge is locking wet. there is light rain move through. urban flooding and thunderstorms go hand in hand. light risk of creek flooding. breezy conditions, too. but not a tremendous amount of wind damage. temperatures in the 60's but fresno is 70 and 79 if palm springs. heavy rain falling at 4:00 in lake tahoe and the western slope up to a foot. leyla gulen?

>> good morning, everyone, at 6 40. there is plenty of grown. that is an indication of sprinkles that are falling causing slick conditions. slow down. watch out for ponding. as we look along highway 4, we can see we are at 19 miles per hour through antioch. very slow. it opens up before pittsburg and you are back on the brakes through bay point. i-80 through hercules looking slow and you pick up pace as you continue to the hoffman split. >> frequent fly public, the biggest airlines is changing the way you rack up miles. >> are you having a bad day? maybe you just need a hug. northern california business is offering hugs. at a cot. >> honoring two fallen officers

lost a year ago today. we are in santa cruz with the emotional remembrance. hales corners, wisconsin. nice pass by alyson dudek. can she hang on to that spot? and she does! [ male announcer ] with the u-verse wireless receiver, your tv goes where you take it, allowing inspiration to follow. ♪

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>> covering novato, oakland and all the bay area this is abc7 news. >> police and family and friend

of two officers killed in the line of duty a year ago today come together to honor them. matt keller has a review. matt? >> the santa cruz police department says it has been a long road over the past year. today the memorial is ready for the dedication ceremony. >> a community remembrance was held at the santa cruz city hall if sergeant baker and detective butler slot and killed during a sexual assault investigation a year ago today. the suspect was shot and killed by police later that day. two of sergeant baker's children attended the event. >> we are still going through the phases, obviously, of grief. it feels like it was just yesterday. >> i miss my best friend, my hero, coming home and talking about work and the dinner table. >> baker's daughter ashley did

not attend the event and is threatening to shoe how a memorial fund is divided. the community donated 500,000 to the families but until the matter resolved the money cannot be distributed even to elizabeth butler's two small children. this is a reminder of the sacrifice with the dedication ceremony today at 10:30. a new business near sacramento is opening the doors and arms today by offering hugs to anyone would needs one. at a price. cuddle connection is celebrating the grand opening today. here is how it works for $29 you get 30-delay cuddle session or an hour for $49. the scud -- cuddles come with strict guidelines. the owner hopes the business helps provide comfort and healing to those who need it. >> it is similar or akin to a

day spa. >> i thought, wow, that is interesting. never heard of that before. it makes a lost sense. i love giving out hugs and receiving hugs. >> can you gin a frequent hugers club? cuddling is nut a new concept with similarships in new york and japan. >> 17-year-old in texas is fighting a suspension after he says he accidentally lot a can of better -- beer to school in lunch when he grabbed mistake listen -- mistakenly grabbed a can of beer rather than a soda. he reported it to the teacher and she supported -- reported it to the principal.

>> i got if trouble. >> you cannot punish a kid if doing the right thing the same punishment to a kid you catch doing the wrong thing. >> the district says the prince -- principal followed proper protocol. what did you think? you can join the conversation on facebook. >> traiting is underway on wall street so we will look at the big board. the dow is up eight points to 16,188. >> delta is making a major change to the frequent flying program starting today with delta passengers who booked trips after december 31 will earn miles based on how much they pay for the tick coat rather than how many miles they fly. those who pay the cheapest will not get the same amount of miles as those would fly business on

first-class. >> target reports that the profits for the quarter 19ed february 1 is down 46 percent! shoppers are worried about going there. target earned $20 million for the three months that helped february 1 compared with a profit of $961 million a year earlier. >> the country down in the bay area for the rain is over. it is rain in some areas. >> it is glistening. you can track the storm on the smartphone with the weather app and you can download it on our website but right now we will check with our meteorologist mike nicco and live doppler 7 hd. you have the umbrella, mike? >> light rain is falling. it is becoming more steady by the moment. good morning, everyone.

we are tracking light-to-moderate radar returns headed to bay shore and daly city with the parkway is the epicenter and it moves to the sunset and richmond district crass the golden gate bridge and now descending into mill valley, sausalito, san rafael, fairfax and you will see an uptick in the amount of falling rain and light-to-moderate from richmond to hayward across 580 through the san ramon valley to antioch. it will be a wet commute. the south bay has sprinkles and you are going to get yours in the fiscal year hour or two as it climbed over the santa cruz mountains and it will weaken. i do believe you will be wet. winds are well right now with a gust but we still below ten

miles per hour sustained wind and that will pick up along with the intensity of rain as we head into the new hour and the afternoon hour. we will have another shot on friday morning and early afternoon and in between scattered showers on thursday and saturday. at 7:00, the rain is rolling law and becoming more widespread and heavier by lunch and into the evening hours when we could have bonding on the roads and a clap of thunder. most of the thunderstorms will stay over the ocean as we head into the overnight hours lingering showers and by noon they will move up to the north and by the afternoon they are gone. by saturday morning we are going to get 1" to 2" of rain around the bay area and 2" to 5" in mountains and saturday afternoon we dry but mound is the nice are day to be outside this weekend. >> we have new issues and i will

take you to san jose where we have a crash with lots of green on the map indicating sprinkles affecting your commute. a big area of green is covering san jose account normal delays along 101 headed away from the 280 and 80 split at the san jose airport but through the scope northbound 880 an accident possibly blocking one lane and it is slowing northbound 280 over 880 interest cupertino you can see this picking up closer to highway 85. in san jose we have a stalled big rig southbound 101 as you approach santa rosa block the entire freeway so we will get clarification on that at the golden gate bridge you can see traffic is running smoothly but wet on the roadway. we are only place where you can see the oscars live on sunday and we are giving away

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[ male announcer ] spring is calling. get sta-green fertilizer now just $8 at lowe's. ♪ here are seven things to know before you go. first, from the roof of the broadcast center, it is raining. get your umbrellas. our best radar down to san bruno, everyone is feeling light rain but the south bay it is only sprinkles. clouds on the left of the scene show the thunderstorms coming in around lunch and the afternoon. you can seat rain here looking

down on golden gate park from the tower. thunder and small hail is possible. be prepared. leyla gulen? >> slow wet ride on the bay bridge toll plaza but a sig-alert in tracy. westbound 580 one lane is taken away at highway 132 because of an overturned big rig and this will be in effect until further notice so take i-5 instead. >> crews are cleaning up after a tree toppled on to a fence and cars were parked in san bruno which could be a sign of what is ahead when the storm really hits . sandbags are the focus for many people in cities this morning with stations up across the peninsula and people are concerned about flooding from the creek where 50 percent of homes are in a plod -- flood

zone. >> today is the anniversary of two santa cruz officers, sergeant butch baker and detective elizabeth butler. there will be a dedication ceremony at santa cruz police department. >> arizona governor tweeted she will do what is best for arizona but not giving any indication of what that is. she has until saturday night to sign or veto a bill that allows businesses to refuse services to gays. >> school is in session at skyline high in oakland after a gas leak forced the cancellation of classes yesterday. folks are investigating whether a student purposefully opened a gas valve. >> that is it for us.

hi! ladies, how are you? let's taste some wine. ♪ ♪ seize your vacation with a southwest airlines sale. go to southwest.co where our lowest fares are now available as low as $69 one-way. book now at southwest.com and carpe vacay. ♪

good morning, america. happening now, the heaviest rains in years set to take hold over southern california. mud slide alerts and the red carpet at the academy awards rolled out early to beat the storms. plus, a winter storm watch for the mountains. developing now, danger in the skies. two new reports of lasers hitting passenger plane cockpits just outside boston. >> i've got a laser pointing at us, green laser pointing at the airplane. >> drivers in the area also reporting lasers in their eyes the police on the hunt for the latest culprit. caught on tape, special delivery on the sidewalk. the baby who couldn't wait even a new york minute. >> i went, no, that's my cab. >> the mom missed her ride and went into labor right there. we'll hear from her about that curbside delivery this morning. ♪ let it go >> and it's a song that's got amer