>> spring showers bringing more than may flowers to the bay area, people dusted off umbrellas for one of the rare rainy days. good afternoon, i'm dan ashley. >> you can see rain clouds continue to cover the skies. >> spencer christian is live on the roof of the building with a look at live doppler 7 hd. >> a partial clearing but rain is falling, still, here is live doppler 7 hd. a trail of rain reaching from

inland east bay down across fremont area into parts of the south bay and santa cruz mountains. in this area it's raining along interstate 580. some steady rainfall there. that is probably slowing town late afternoon commute. over into the sierra some light snow that will develop into heavier snow. four rainfall totals under a tenth inch. san francisco 16/100ths. 15/100ths in oakland. now, here is a forecast animation at 7:00 this evening. during overnight hours, pockets of showers, periods of rain by 5:00 in the morning we'll see more areas of steadier rainfall. heaviest rain arrives in mid morning hours around 9:00 or so with a possibility of isolated

thunderstorms. there will be more to follow as a week of active weather lies ahead, weekend, i should add. >> spencer, thank you. >> today's rainfall isn't enough to makeup for the dry winter but it is a welcome sight for many. tiffany? >> it wasn't a game changer but the rain did leave puddles on the ground and optimism in the air. art yi -- artichoke, and lettuce. >> it's been hard to makeup for the freeze, farmers had to give up winter crops >> dennis buys some goods from this farm. today, the rolling green hills got a spritz rather than a soaking but cooper says he'll take the moisture anyway it

falls >> any bits of rain helps fill creeks and streams and ponds that different farmers and ranchers have on the land. >> every drop of water makes a difference, including at slope garden center. here, they catch down spout runoff in buckets. >> just being conservative with our watering. we are being very careful. not wasting water. trying to keep the plants alive. >> when you wake up to the forecast and hear rain is coming through how does that make you feel? >> excited i'm disappointed if it doesn't materialize but very, very happy when it comes and does good for everybody. >> with more rain expected later this week, elan whitney is happy. >> if we had rain all winter i'd be tired of it. but it's great. it's fabulous.

>> in novato, tiffany wilson, abc7 news. >> go to our web site and you can down load it. >> recovery teams are deeper in the mud in a small town of seattle today. >> officials do expect that number to increase, perhaps dramatically. 176 people are still classified missing. some of them could have been counted more than once. one woman holding out hope her 36-year-old daughter will emerge alive from debris in the home. >> my 16-year-old daughter, my adult son and his two young sons were down there digging with their hands. >> another dog got rescued so they're finding dogs alive. why can't we find people? >> i just ask all americans to send their thoughts and prayers to washington state. >> president obama also declared a federal state of emergency

attending a summit in the netherlands that will bring aid to the mudslide victims >> three american red cross volunteers are heading north to help mudslide victims providing services to help people get lives back on track after the community was levelled. >> we try to be able to find them whatever they need. so food, housing and furniture we help them plan recovery. so we'll make a pran for how they're going to recover. >> other teams are providing other services >> a massive fire in an apartment complex under construction in houston is out, but still smoldering this afternoon. flames roared through the structure, firefighters tried to prevent flames from spreading.

200 emergency personnel were on the scene. >> the houston inferno brings to mind this one. a building under construction at mission bay here at and t park burst into flames two weeks ago the heat blew out windows investigators looking at welding as the probable cause. >> happening tonight police chief greg sur will answer questions about a shooting that killed a man at vernal heights park. carolyn? >> the chief did talk to us today and tonight will answer everybody's questions here at the school around 6:00. this is all part of the chief's protocol following any officer-involved shooting. san francisco police chief says based on what he knows about the tragedy at vernal heights park

he's not second gegs his officers they shot and killed a 26-year-old friday night. some witnesses told us as many as 14 rounds were fired. officers say he pointed at weapon at them. friends insist it was a taser, not a gun. >> the police should be trained to understand the difference between a pistol and a taser gun. . >> i believe officers were acting in defense of their lives. it doesn't make it any less a tragedy. >> family, including family and friends held a vigil remembering a young man, a community activist and a practicing buddhist who wanted to become a probation officer. but there are questions about the victim's mental health a family member told us he was mentally ill this, man showed injuries he said were inflicted

on him with the taser. they filed restraining orders against each other. supervisor david campos, who represents the neighborhood says police have a special unit to deal with these issues. >> it was a new team created for that purpose. you know a question is was that team involved in this incident? did they call upon the team? >> campos will be at the meeting along with his constituents, looking for answers. >> and once again, the meeting gets underway at 6:00 tonight on cesar chavez street. >> we'll have a live crew there on abc7 news tonight at 6:00. in an hour, bart police and richmond police will start handing ut flyers warning commuters about a series of robberies. robbers are following bart

riders as they leave and they steal their smart phones police say many are not paying attention to what's happening around them. police believe the men are undocumented and will be afraid to report a crime. >> intersection of fremont boulevard and dakota road is closed more than 14 hours after a fatal accident. nick smith is on the story. >> there are motorcycle debris. it's a horrific screen. >> police are describing what happened here. they say a 23-year-old is responsible for a crash that killed a man on a motorcycle and forced a closure of fremont boulevard. >> officers did not get into a pursuit but the vehicle did fail to yield. >> police say before the mini cooper ripped through the intersection, the trouble would

start here at this taco bell a mile and a half away from the crime scene. we're there as police arrived to retrieve surveillance video from cameras witnesses told police he was so wasted he tried to pay for food using his card the clerk refused, he cursed her and threw his wallet, drove off. >> we're lucky the employee called and alerted us >> we've learned investigators recovered his wallet and believe images will place him behind the wheel of the car minutes before they say he struck and killed a motorcyclist smash throughed this pole and tried to get away until he was caught, and arrested for suspicion of dui >> investigators are taking pictures of the scene. this intersection remains closed. >> san carlos police investigating the cause of an

overnight accident that knocked out electricity to 1200 customers the driver crashed into a power pole this morning. >> police say a suspected drunk driver is to blame for this accident this morning. you can see water shooting into the air. it started around quarter to one. witnesses say a man crashed his car into a taxi, then hit a hydrant, drenching the neighborhood the driver was arrested on suspicion of dui >> still ahead tonight at 4:00, 4 men arrested from jumping from the new world trade center tower. why they are so stunned police spent so much energy looking for them. >> the rush makers of candy crush hope to achieve tomorrow >> new a mess caused by overflowing donation box asks changes may be on the way as a

result. >> taking a look at traffic right now, it's bumper to bumper for drivers snaking towards the lower deck of the bay bridge but moving nicely for folks heading out of san francisco, south, towards 101 the news continues right after this. [doorbell rings] hey. hey. what's this? it's u-verse live tv. with at&t u-verse... you can watch live tv from your device.

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four men, including a world trade center construction workers are aafter a sky high

jump in december. >> they leaped from the nation's tallest tower under the cover of darkness, plunging 1300 feet in 60 seconds. controversial stunt in september now coming to light. after the thee jumpers and their lookout turned themselves in. >> we're shocked it -- they spent that much time and energy continuing to pursue something that they knew wasn't a terrorist attack. >> maybe not terrorism but a stunning breech of security at the world trade center officials called it a violation of spirit of respect for the site. >> we weren't seeking anything more than just simplicity of the jump. that is all. >> the men slipped through a hole in fences and then, went to the roof, 104 floors up, landing here three blocks away after 52 second free fall the men scurried into the dark and hid their parachutes but

surveillance helped track them down. they pleaded not guilty to felony charges including burglary and trespassing. he with weren't trying to hurt anyone or stir up media. weren't trying to cause problems for new york city >> it's a walk up call for law enforcement, embarrassed when a 16-year-old boy abaited the same security, reaching the roof. >> it's a big day hint the company behind candy crush sag yachl the company has offices in san francisco, and hopes to raise $500 million on the new york stock exchange with shares making the company worth $7.6 billion. >> if you've wanted to be an air

traffic controller today was a chance. it's available at today's job journal. employers were there taking resumes. 700 positions were advertised chlts cvs hiring for two new stores in san francisco the next event takes place april 23rd at double tree hotel in san jose. you'll find more information on abc7 news.com. >> food prices in the united states expected to jump this year with beef, poultry and eggs heading the list of increased costs. food costs could raise by 2.5% to 3.5% this year based on normal weather. usda says california's drought could drive prices higher than that. so be prepared. the golden state is the number one farm state supplying roughly

half of the fruits and vegetables in the country. >> in arizona a giant dust storm sweeping through phoenix. national weather service issued a warning for greater phoenix. this includes the cities of mira copa, chandler, mesa and it's incredibly difficult to drive. >> no dust here but rain. and sprinkles around the bay area. >> spencer christian is on the roof top with more. >> this is the beginning of a winter-like pattern of unsettleed and rainy weather. a dry patch here on the roof and we have a trail of rainfall reaching from livermore towards fremont and into santa cruz mountains. closing into the the area you can see where the gratest rain

is now. wet spots along highway 580. let's move along and give you a live view on the east bay looking back at dark clouds over the bay and over san francisco. these forecast features we'll see showers overnight and there could be some locally heavy ones but mainly scattered showers, heavy showers developing in the morning and a chance of thunderstorms as well. here is our satellite image showing you a long trail of active weather. that is what is going to bring us wave after wave of rainfall into next week. next wave arriving tomorrow morning. let's start at 7:00 this evening, during a late evening and overnight we'll see scattered showers that could be again locally heavy at times we'll see more wide spread rainfall steadier, heavier

by 9:00 we'll see heavy rain moving through the bay area, wide spread pattern of heavy rain. a chance of thunderstorms during mid importanting and afternoon hours. there could with locally heavy down pours. so we're projecting rainfall totals between an inch, two inches in higher elevations. that is a good soaking. winter storm wash warning until 11:00. tun 1 to 2 feet of snow. 8 to 16 inches above 5,000 feet. overnight tonight, under shower yes conditions low temperatures from upper 40s to low 60s.

rain likely saturday. perhaps only dry day rainy. scattered showers tuesday. this is a pattern we'll take it now in early spring. >> she can conquer oceans but not quite conquering "dancing with the stars". what the swimmer thinks about being eliminated. >> a boy's difficult decision. why he's choosing to have part of the leg amputated. >> looking outside in walnut creek, traffic moving well

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a bit of a stunner from the music world, actress gwyneth paltrow and singer chris martin are splitting posting on her blog while we love each other very much we will remain separate the couple has two children. >> it's the end of a line for a fan of "dancing with the stars". three groups tied for first place. >> unfortunately, you're going home right now. >> reporter: swimming great diana niad eliminated early in the show. but then, she and her partner dove into a cha cha just for fun

the self pro fessed "dancing with the stars" super fan has no regrets. >> it's a grand experience. and i've been very luck yes. this ranks among them. >> she's one of the most compassionate, passionate people i've met we're going to remain friends. >> sean and his arter were eliminated and danced >> he just tried anything you're >> nice. >> yes. >> top three. >> we'll take it. >> nice job. >> and that is

yes. . >> i expect to get a lot out of myself. and whether the best of me is going to be able to win is for the people to decide. >> then, cody simpson, 22. 21 points another tie. drew cary, and mimi lee. >> it's one of the most beautif beautiful, incredible moments. >> the stars will be back to dance to the most-memorable year of their lives. >> a lot of work. i commend people for trying. >> yes. for sure. >> and still ahead malaysia

airlines disaster and the anger from relatives >> the president's policy when it comes to phone records of millions of americans. >> donation overload and

>> today's search for malaysian airlines flight 370 had to be cancelled because of bad weather. relatives exploded in anger. 300 friends and family members of flight 370 marched two miles to beijing only to find police blocking their way they don't trust the malaysian government's statement that the plane went down without survivors. >> why you make the conclusion no one is alive? i don't believe that. you make that conclusion you must have evidence. >> the ceo of malaysia airlines announced it's offering $5,000 in compensation to relatives of the 239 passengers and crew. >> officials in west african nation are banning the sale of bats to prevent the spread of the deadly ebola virus

the virus killed 62 people with cases reported in neighboring liberia and sierra leon as well. past outbreaks happened thousands of miles away. bats considered a natural reservoir for the ebola virus. there is no cure for a vaccine. >> white house estimated there are 30,000 russian troops near the ukrainin border. president obama urged russian leaders to act responsibly. the president says no military response is being contestimony nated lawmakers are working on legislation authorizing afrngss against russiana. and >> the president says the white

house will no longer collect ask store phone records of millions of americans planning to ask congress to end the collection and storage of phone records by the national security the president is proposing the companies hold on to those companies but only when needed and only with a court order. i'm confident it allows us to do what is necessary in order to deal with dangers of a terrorist attack. >> until then, the governor will continue to operate the program as is. >> the supreme court is hearing arguments about this question to prof-making businesses have religious rights?

it is a case that resolves around christian leaders. they feel it's the same as supporting abortion supporters say it's a decision only women, not ceos have a right to make. >> this choice is unfair and >> millions of women and their right to preventive care is trumped by a handful of ceos who have their own personal opinions about birth control. >> experts say it appears the court will grant the exemption. right. >> we have a follow up, getting every rape kit in california tested got closer to reaction today

there is no state standard for testing the kits. abc7 news investigation found thousands of untested kits sitting on bay area police report room shelves. some more than a decade >> this bill is critical. our arrest rate is 21% in the state. we've got several thousand kits on shelves have some of them have forensic evidence that will be invaluable to law enforcement and prosecution to move cases into the court. >> the associations citing a lack of resources to pay for the testing and strict deadlines

the bill will next be heard by assembly committee in mid april we'll let you know. >> oakland city council considering a measure to make streets safer. the council member wants grounds for a civil suit against driver who's harass, assault or commit battery. that includes engine revving as well as intentionally passing a bicyclist at an unsafe distance and failing to yield right of way in a crosswalk. >> oakland is cracking down on donation bins the problem has been those bins have become a dump site for a lot of people. more on how the city mans to regulate these things. >> these donation boxes sound like a good idea.

people have trashed them. now, oakland wants to join other cities in trying to regulate them. here is where people drop off clothes, shoes or books they no longer want or need convenient, right? they were introduced in oakland in 2006. >> there is 80 throughout the city. >> ken wants the city to regulate them because of the kind of trash these bins attract. just behind these 2 on telegraph avenue, people had jumped a mattresses a sofa, bookcase and several other large items. at city hall a special committee heard arguments on why they should require boxes to keep areas cheen. >> if there is trash around the area within 20 feet they have to pick it skup remove it. it's seven days per week.

>> anything dumped here is picked up by groups or the city the committee proposing operators purchase a permit a yearly fee of $650. youth again operates several bins oochl we agree that people in the industry need to be regulated we consider ourselves a good operator. we run in 18 states >> use again is controversial because it's a for-profit company. they say they're keeping millions of items from getting into our landfills, they also make money by selling what they collect here. none of the companies pay taxes to the city on their earnings. salvation army says it cuts into their business. >> it takes money out of the community. it takes products away from folks who need it >> after today the issue rb taken up by the full counsel yil. >> still to come on abc7 thus at

4:00 new world record holder for selling the most girl scout cookies. the number is staggering. >> how about this live view from our exploratorium camera looking back at dark clouds over san francisco clouds over the bay area and more rain still to come. i'll have the accu-weather forecast coming up. >> thank you, spencer. here are clouds live as well. cars heading away from you are crossing into san mateo. moving fairly well on this

i know your daughter sold girl scout cookies >> this is unbelievable. 18,000 boxes sold. >> who pulled it off? one oklahoma city girl scout. >> the 11-year-old sold those cookies in seven weeks setting a new record. >> the previous one was 18,000. she says there are three ingredients to a sale. time, commitment and asking everyone she meets to buy cookies >> how about beating that record sf >> i was really happy. i started dancing around, just really happy. i was excited. and it takes a lot of energy. and a lot of adrenaline. but it's a lot of fun, too. >> maybe a lot of cookies, too.

>> katie hopes to sell 20,000 boxes by the end of the month. >> that is a piece of cake. >> for her, it is. >> like a lot of cookies. she must sell to everybody she comes across. >> every person, i think. >> let's update the forecast. finally got rain. >> yes. >> this rain going to be with us. this rainy pattern into next week. at the moment we have areas of showers and light rain, scattered around the bay area. someplaces are dry but check out this cell moving through lower mendocino county producing heavy down pours and possibly small hail in there maybe thunder and lightning now expected to arrive there in 20 minutes or so. powerful cell. the stormy weather gets better organized

nationally tomorrow a big storm off the coast with snow over northern new england. down into california much of the state tomorrow will experience wet weather from top to almost bottom. will be showery near l.a. here in the bay area after scattered showers overnight, heavier down pours in the morning possibly isolated thunderstorms by afternoon looking at areas of showers with high temperatures from only into upper >>s to low 60s tomorrow, now, a range of highs on a wet day. more wet days still to come. >> still head on abc7 news at 4:00 possible healing powers of medical marijuana when it comes to debilitating disease. >> outrage over high tech companies shuttling workers from san francisco to silicon valley. there may not be that much

anger. >> changing image of google glasses details on the tech giant's effort to erase that nerd factor. has atrial fibrillation, or afib. he has the most common kind... ...it's not caused by a heart valve problem. dad, it says your afib puts you at 5 times greater risk of a stroke. that's why i take my warfarin every day. but it looks like maybe we should ask your doctor about pradaxa. in a clinical trial, pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)... ...was proven superior to warfarin at reducing the risk of stroke.

and unlike warfarin, with no regular blood tests or dietary restrictions. hey thanks for calling my doctor. sure. pradaxa is not for people with artificial heart valves. don't stop taking pradaxa without talking to your doctor. stopping increases your risk of stroke. ask your doctor if you need to stop pradaxa before surgery or a medical or dental procedure. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding or have had a heart valve replaced. seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have a bleeding condition or stomach ulcer, take aspirin, nsaids, or blood thinners... ...or if you have kidney problems, especially if you take certain medicines. tell your doctors about all medicines you take. pradaxa side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you or someone you love has afib not caused by a heart valve problem... ...ask your doctor about reducing the risk of stroke with pradaxa. announcer: babies who are talked to from the time they're born.. are more likely to have a successful future.

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>> officials voted to restrict use of e cigarettes. in san francisco. new law prohibits electronic cigarettes where regular cigarettes are already banned mayor lee expected to sign the law on thursday that should go into affect within 30 days time n santa claire yat law adds e cigarettes to current antitobacco laws including a ban in all county buildings with a 30 foot puff zone effective immediately. and in new york city a smoker's rights group filed suit against the city seeking to overturn the ban on e cigarettes. of this ordinance passed in december under new york's smoke-free air act, banning e cigarettes whenever regular cigarettes are banned the group claims it regular yug

yates exposure and they say that violates one subject rule in the city's charter. >> checking healthy living news this afternoon, could an online intervention help reduce unhealthy drinking among college students? researchers use aid sur stray to identify students with unhealthy habits. half received personal feed back, the other half did not. for nonintervention group it was five. the journal appears in the journal of the american medical association . >> i study found medical marijuana may ease symptoms of multiple sclerosis. researchers say it may help reduce muscle spasms and you're y problems. >> despite the controversy over

tech shuttle buses a poll indicates most people don't seem to mind them. a survey commissioned by bay area council finds most respondents like the tech industry. >> when it looks like a majority have a positive opinion and despite that, we see voters would like to have regulation. >> that may include charging the buses for using muni stops. >> there is more trouble for general motors

>> the suit filed on behalf of 13 car owners asks for compensation for the owners of recalled cars. gm declined to comment on the suit the company said it's focusing on customer safety. and peace of mind a report shows graduate student debt is skyrocketing. saying they borrowed each. analysts say it could be because it's hard to find a job. many believe a higher degree will give them an advantage in

the job market. >> does google glass make you look nerdy? some folks think so. but now the high-tech eye wear will be getting a makeover. google teeming up with a company making ray ban and oakley sunglasses. the look will be less geek and more chic. now, you have to be selected to wear them, no word when they had been sold to the general public. >> that was sleek. >> thank you, michael. >> well, moving on. coming up next a courageous decision, really amazing. >> a young boy wants to have a leg amputated are his parents behind his choice? >> coming up at 5:00 going inside of a bay area defense contractor tonight a look behind the doors of a

lab. plus... an unprecedented rescue effort now underway to save the salmon, next

tonight agents of shield followed by mind games then join dan ashley and me for abc7 news tonight at 11:00. and just vezit watch abc.com for details. a colorado school district is meeting after changing it's dress code it began when she shaved her head to support her friend officials said that violated a kres code did not allow cameron to attend class the girl returned to class today after protests from the community the school district is now looking at modifying its dress

code >> a boy in berkeley has made a difficult decision about his future but one his parents support. the 11-year-old wants to have part of his leg amputated. >> like right now, my leg is broken >> he has a rare disorder causing his leg bones to fracture under the slightest stress. >> sometimes he has night terr r terrors. he's on the maximum amount of tie hen -- tylenol and advil he can be on for his age. i've been through so much. i know i'm not sure if it's going to heal or not. but if i amputate it i'm going to have more of a chance of running and walking and playing. like, contact games. >> he broke his leg by walking on it.

despite dangers his parents led him play wheelchair basketball for the joy of it. >> now, my leg is shorter than the other than before when i walked. i was limping a lot because -- i don't like limping people all the time looking at you. >> with a prosthetic leg he wants to run. amit's web site is growing. he blogs about a personal decision >> can tell you i'm scared. this is freaking me out. >> so far, he has full support of his parents and doctors. except for the idea of preserving his foot in a lava lamp. >> we'll continue to follow the story for you and thanks for joining us for abc7 news at 4:00. tonight a heads up for anything who takes bart. >> beginning of the year we've

had 18 rob yis >> a rescue effort underway. a convoy to save the salmon. >> you can drive them around. >> i'm sand kwa patel live on the roof, we have heavy rain, possible thunder. what commute is looking nasty, coming up. >> more than half of all cell phone owners are strakted by walking. police say if you think it's safe to walk ask talk, you probably want to think again. because too many people are getting robbed while talking or texting on their cell phones. thanks for joining us. >> mes are hoping to stop a

skyrocketing rise of smart phone thefts. this is happening more and more often. >> police officers just arrived and are setting out to distribute leaflets. their message don't be distracted by your smart phone. robberies are an epidemic on the streets. take a look at the surveillance video of this woman being mugged and robbed. police lieutenant says robbers can pick victims. >> they'll spot someone walking and distracted with their cell phone. probably approached from the rear >> it's also happening on public transportation. this recorded aboard a muni bus

the victims ride, robbers snatch their phone, and run. now, it's become a magnet for thieves. >> we've had 18 robberies near and around the richmond bart station. >> police believe robbers are targeting hispanic bart riders because they know they're less likely to go to police oochl they may be reluctant to report crimes because they may ab frayed of their status. >> he says he's heard that concern. >> sometimes they're afraid to report it because of their legal situation. te find themselves in >> but police say they dmot report undocumented immigrants who are victims of crimes to authorities. so today they're hoping that victims will not