downpours are still to come. good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm ama daetz in for kristen sze, thank you for joining us. let's take a live look from our camera on top of mt. tam. the wind is blowing the trees sideway. >> looking live at the golden gate bridge, drivers are dealing with wet roads. we'll begin our storm watch coverage with spencer christian tracking the storm on live doppler 7. >> here's live doppler 7. for much of the bay area this storm is beginning to reach its peak of intensity. you can see yellow and orange representing heavy rainfall. we've got moderate to heavy rain covering much of the bay area and some of the heaviest is just moving onshore right now, through san francisco and out over the bay. now, rainfall totals the last 24 hours aside from ben low monday, there's over an inch at santa rosa but only 0.08 in san jose.

through today it will continue to produce moderate to heavy rain, winndy conditions and the possibility of downed trees and power lines. i'll give you a look at the forecast animation showing more rainy weather to come. >> spencer, thanks very much. the rain is welcome news for some in the east bay, particularly those in charge of the water supply. rain has falling steadily and could slow the drive home. >> reporter: hi, yes, good afternoon. you can see behind me this area already has a lot of traffic this type of day. all these cars are heading east making for a very messy commute along 80. the soggy weather didn't keep people from handling their business. these two college students are job hunting. the weather made for a few delays, but they made it to oakland for tuesday morning interviews. >> it is very important because

i have to support myself and now it's time to grow up so i have to find a way, no matter what the weather is. >> reporter: from an environmental standpoint, the rain is long overdue, considering the drought. >> no matter how the weather is, we still need to conserve water. >> reporter: east bay mud officials say thousands of customers are getting that message by saving water. the water level at san pablo reservoir is a hopeful sign, a far cry from where the level was many months ago. >> right now our system capacity is at 80% overall, so that's all the reservoirs, all the storage, and that's really good. bt looking forward, we do need the snowpack to be healthy as well. >> reporter: officials are monitoring the levels of all seven reservoirs that fall under the east bay utility district. january was off to a good start with rainfall but it's too soon to determine the impact. >> generally speaking i can say our supply is very healthy right now. however, we do have to remember that we're earl in the season.

it's only january. >> reporter: officials are watching what happens further up north. colder weather in the higher elevations helps build the snowpack which melts and feeds into reservoirs like this one. so that's the message we're getting from the utility district and even from the state level. it's off to a good start, the rainy season that is, which is january and february, but too soon to tell. as you can see, traffic moving right along now along 80. >> lonni, thank you so much. in the sierra, so much snow has fallen there's now an avalanche warning. you're looking at heaven ly mountain resort. it applies to backcountry areas. chains are required for drivers on 80 east of placer county. take a look at the snow-packed freeway. today also brought the first snowpack survey and despite all the new snow, it's below average

at just about half of normal. now let's head to the north bay where tourists stopped at vista point, needed either a paurc poncho or good umbrella. there was a lot of ponding around storm drains as the rain fell fairly heavily. in sonoma county they are keeping a close eye on the russian river, hoping it does not flood by the weekend. the storm brought snow to the top of mt. hamilton making it look like a winter wonderland. only about an inch fell but that was enough to close the road to the 4300-foot summit. eventually the snow turned to rain and the road was reopened. well, they let the dogs out early today at walnut creek. heather farm community park it was all about getting in some playing time before the downpour. one puppy's owner told us the key was having towels ready when you get home. he also predicted it would be a two-towel storm today. >> abc 7 news found plenty of pulls in fairfield. driving was challenging on the wet roads with all that rain

coming down and more on the way. >> you can track today's storm any time you wish with the abc 7 news app. watch live doppler 7 and track the rain where you live. also enable push alerts to get weather updates sent right to your phone or your tablet. a popular east bay elementary schoolteacher has been accused of putting duct tape over the mouth of a fifth grader. those allegations have been outlined in a lawsuit recently filed by the child's parents. laura anthony is live with the details. >> reporter: these alleged incidents have been investigated by both the school district here and the police department over the past year, and so far no charges have been filed. now with this lawsuit, though, a popular teacher here is under fire. >> he didn't do anything that justifies any treatment of this nature. >> reporter: attorney larry cook says his client, then an 11-year-old student at los perales elementary had duct tape placed over his mouth twice in a

one-month period last year. >> the first occasion, duct tape was placed over his mouth and face and in front of his entire class, fifth grade. and on the second occasion, the student was forced to put the duct tape on the student's own mouth. >> reporter: after the boy's parents complained, the school district reported the incidents to police but an initial investigation yielded no charges. >> recently the young man who was involved was made available to us for an interview and so we just conducted an interview with him last week. we will be taking that new information along with the previous investigation and reviewing it with the district attorney in the next couple of weeks. >> reporter: the school superintendent, bruce burns, said in a statement, quote, at the time the first report was made, the district investigated the matter thoroughly and took appropriate action. the district understands that protecting our students has to be our highest priority. the teacher was put on leave for a time last year, but is back in

the classroom at los perales. according to cook, at the time of the alleged incidents, the teacher warned the students in her class not to talk about it. >> this teacher made a statement to the students and had apparently made the statement on other occasions as well that what occurred in this classroom stayed in this classroom. >> reporter: the boy transferred out of the class at the time and now attends a different school. in moraga, laura anthony, abc 7 news. charles manson, one of america's most notorious criminals of course, is now in a hospital after getting sick in prison. manson is now 82 years old and he's currently an inmate at corcoran state prison in the san joaquin valley. "the los angeles times" reports manson is seriously ill. prison officials have refused to release any details. manson and some of his followers were convicted of killing actress sharon tate and six other people in 1969. a 25-year-old livermore man is facing charges after allegedly hitting a man with a baseball bat.

police say gabriel ponce showed up just after 4:00 this morning. he reportedly banged on the front door with the bat. when the man inside opened it, he hit him in the head. the victim was taken to the hospital where she's in stable condition. he will survive. police say the two men know each other but they didn't say what prompted the attack. the family of a north bay teenager stabbed to death last year hopes an increase in the reward will solve his murder. 18-year-old kirk kimberly was found buried face down near sonoma state university. police do not believe it was a random crime. they say kimberly was likely targeted, but they do not know why. his family has now raised enough money to take the reward over $12,000 to anyone who has information leading to the arrest of his killer. it may be a little more difficult for you to get what you need done at alameda county courthouses. court clerks went home at 2:30

today. even traffic courts are affected. be glad this isn't smell-o-vision. take a look at this video posted by san francisco district attorney george gas cone. it shows water dripping from a light fixture at the hall of justice. except that isn't just water, it's stinky sewage dripping down. cleaning crews mopped up the mess in the hallways. a sign on the door simply called it a water emergency. well, emergency repairs on the golden gate bridge are finished after the movable barrier that acceseparates northbound and southbound lanes was damaged. a passing car likely hit the barrier preventing the zipper truck from setting up the normal commute configuration. that's four southbound lanes going into the city and two northbound going out. instead it was three going in, three going out this morning while those emergency repairs were made. despite the rain and one less lane going into san francisco, actually traffic wasn't too bad. >> it could have been very, very

bad and so we're really grateful that the word got out and people were able to adjust their commutes in order to get to where they needed to go. >> bridge officials say this is one of the first problems they have experienced with the barrier since its installation two years ago. a group of hayward teens got together to support a classmate diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer that affects 200,000 people every year in the u.s. they're raising money to help with her medical bills by following a simple recipe. live, love and bake. lyanne melendez explains. >> you don't want too much water. >> reporter: students in hayward have taken up a hobby and a cause. when their classmate was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma, her friend, elias, rallied the troops. >> we felt that it was needed to do to help her and her family, so they wouldn't have to struggle so much because it's very hard. >> reporter: so far they have raised more than $500. they called the campaign cookies

for cookie, her nickname. this alternative high school was so proud of its students they posted pictures on instagram. >> they worked really hard. some of them got super sick of baking cookies, but they knew that it was for such a spectacular human being. >> reporter: while they were baking today, cookie was undergoing chemotherapy. too sick to talk to us, her mother told us off camera she's in good spirits. >> it's just wonderful to know that my daughter and myself are surrounded by wonderful people t help us get through this. >> reporter: knowing that more money is needed, her friends also started a go fund me page to help pay for some of her medical bills. >> we're hoping that people out there see this and hopefully if they can donate whatever they can, a dollar, anything helps. if you can donate financially, just keeping her in your prayers. >> reporter: lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >> we have a link to the go fund me page benefiting cookie on our website. still ahead on abc 7 news at

5:00, can teenagers be legally banned from the mall? up next, one northern california shopping center has done just that. why they did it and who's fighting to get the ban reversed. and closing a loophole in the state's new legalized marijuana law. what state lawmakers will propose to keep stoned drivers off our roads. getting fit in the new year with the help of wearable technology. 7 on your side's michael finney takes a closer look at fitness trackers and the best ones to track your over 1,000,000 californians have gotten something that's been out of reach for far too long: health insurance. how? they enrolled through covered california. it's the health insurance marketplace where you'll find a range of plans from leading health insurance companies that offer you the best combination of quality, rates, and benefits. and, through covered california, you may get financial help to pay for coverage. to get covered, you've got to get going. open enrollment ends january 31st. visit covereca.com today.

2 years ago the count was 6500 and 70% have no permanent shelter. as david louie reports, a major campaign is hoping to put a dent in those numbers. >> reporter: maybe you've seen them picking up debris from freeway ramps and swabs. they're members of the downtown

streets team recruited from among the homeless. but look who's out here today, the mayor, sending a message that san jose is serious about helping to find housing for the homeless. >> the city has released a $45 million funding opportunity for development of housing for the homeless. we've converted two motels already. we're beginning construction on other projects. so we're going to keep trying to expand the inventory. >> reporter: j.j. jones has been a streets team member for three years. by volunteering and by cooperating with a social worker, she's no longer homeless. >> he worked with me and i made all my doctors' appointments and i did what i was supposed to do. and if you volunteer your time and you make the effort, then, you know, you're real about it, then good things come to you. >> reporter: the members of the streets team get paid $5 an hour and people like j.j. put in 20 hours a week. it's not a lot of money, but it does help. however, it's estimated seven out of ten homeless in santa

clara county aren't as lucky as j.j., they remain on the streets. phil russell is one of them, homeless for ten years. he hears about programs like this but it hasn't helped him. >> if they say housing is going up here. well, a lot of people out here, the homeless people think what kind of housing? the housing we see going up are $3,000 a month for one bedroom. >> reporter: the mayor remains optimistic that inroads can be head made to house the homeless. governor brown and first lady ann brown are in hawaii tonight for a quick vacation. the couple will be back on sunday to begin a busy month. early next week governor brown will unveil his state budget and deliver his state of the state address later this month. the california highway patrol is stepping up enforcement of people driving if they are using marijuana. right now it is illegal to drive while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, but proposition 64, which legalized recreational marijuana use, did

not specifically ban marijuana use behind the wheel. two bay area legislators have proposed legislation, therefore, to close that loophole. in the meantime the chp will treat it as a dui. >> we don't want it to be where someone said i only had one beer, i can drive. if you're driving, you cannot be smoking orrin gesting any type of marijuana. >> right now there are no breathalyzers that detect marijuana use so the chp will rely on officers' training and experience to monitor pot use behind the wheel. a northern california mall's decision to ban teenagers is facing push back. teenager can say no longer enter the mall unless they're with a parent or guardian. that's sparked outrage from the aclu and parents who say the policy is discriminatory. the mall is defending the new rule saying it's just trying to keep the peace. they point to fights in years past. it is a new year and you're probably getting back into the exercise groove perhaps, putting

on one of those fitness trackers. >> michael finney partnered up with consumer reports to finds out if those trackers actually work. >> jogging first thing in the morning are we now? >> well, somebody is. >> somebody somewhere. fitness trackers are all the rage these days, but a new study, one of the biggest and longest today, suggests for some they probably won't help them lose weight. consumer reports explains what fitness trackers are actually good for and then reveals the top choices in these exclusive ratings. trainer amanda durr used a fitness tracker to help her lose 40 pounds of post pregnancy baby weight. >> after i got to my goal weight, i stopped looking at it because i didn't need it anymore. >> reporter: what if you don't necessarily need to lose weight? a 2016 study tracked 800 adults for a year. most wore fitbits and logged between 50 and 70,000 steps a week. but after just six months, none of them showed improvement with weight or blood pressure. after a year, 90% of them stopped using their fitbit altogether. >> taking steps alone isn't

enough to help you lose weight. you're going to have to pair that with an intense exercise regimen and also with a healthy diet. >> reporter: just like amanda did. she ate a proper diet, hit the gym and used her fitness tracker to help her measure her activity. consumer reports tests fitness trackers for step count and heart rate monitoring accuracy, water resistance and ease of use in pairing, as well as readability in both bright or low light. consumer reports top rated trackers, the fitbit surge for $250, the tomtom spark cardio plus music for $130. another highly rated tracker, the garmin vivosmart hr for $150. amanda doesn't use hers anymore because she says she's in maintenance phase. >> i feel like it's a short-term tool. it's not like a forever tool. >> consumer reports reached out to the makers of fitbit who said fitbit continues to invest in the development of new devices

and innovative motivational tools and social features to further enhance user engagement and help individuals achieve their health and fitness goals. >> thanks, michael. our stormy tuesday weather continues. here's a live look at doppler 7 and you can see the entire area covered by green with lots of orange and yellow. along with strong gusty wind. here's a look at current wind gusts. 36 miles per hour at sfo, 35 over at fairfield, all around the pay it's windy. out on the coast 40-mile-per-hour gusts at half moon bay. this is looking over the embark da -- embarcadero. temperatures are mainly in the low to mid-50s. this is view of the golden gate where the pavement is wet and some rain is approaching the golden gate once again after a broef break. it's 50 degrees up at santa

rosa, 52 at napa, 55 at concord and deliver more at 52 degrees. here's a view atop mt. tam. you can see the trees waving in the breeze there. these are our forecast futures. we'll see heavy rain and wind continuing tonight. showers tomorrow and this very wet pattern will continue for the next seven days with maybe a wre break for one day. tonight's storm ranks 2 on the impact sail. a storm of moderate intensity. it will continue to produce moderate to heavy rainfall, windy through the evening as well and a possibility of minor flooding. here's our forecast animation starting at 5:00 this afternoon, right now. we'll continue to see pockets of moderate to heavy rainfall pounding the bay area through the overnight hours and into the early morning, admdiminishing un the north bay but it will be quite wet and perhaps a slow commute tomorrow morning. 5:00 to 10:00 tomorrow morning the rain will ease up but it will still be a wet day with

lighter rain in the afternoon and early evening. even tomorrow's evening commute may not be a treat. over in the sierra, a winter storm warning is in effect until 4:00 thursday morning. we expect 1 to 2 feet of snow at lake level, 2 for 4 feet of snow above 7,000 feet. ridge gusts up to 100-mile-per-hour winds. snow totals will range from a foot and a half up to 2 feet by thursday morning with more snow expected after that. here in the bay area look for lows in the low 50s. tomorrow's highs will be mainly in the mid to upper 50s. as we look at our chances of rain over the next seven days, thursday will be the only dry day. chances of rain will range from 60% to 100% all of the other six days in that period so let's skip ahead to friday at noon and pick up the forecast animation looking ahead to the weekend. rain comes in friday night, continues through the day saturday, overnight saturday through the day on sunday and into monday morning. it looks like the storm intensity over the weekend will be just about as great as the storm we're experiencing right now with heavy downpours and

strong gusty wind. so here's the accuweather seven-day forecast. the stormy conditions tomorrow rank only 1 on the storm impact scale and we expect dry conditions on thursday. rain picks up or moves in again late friday and intensifies over the weekend ranking 2 on the impact scale both saturday and sunday with rain or showers likely as well on monday and tuesday. it's going to be a very stormy period for us. >> we need it. thanks, spencer. well, the concept car that woos millennials. chrysler unveils the vehicle of the future. great to be back with you. coming up, the abrupt about-face on this first day of congress. the deadly twisters, at least five dead. airport chaos, thousands trapped in lines. and a dresser falling on a toddler. his 2-year-old twin lifting it off him. you'll hear from his mother right after abc 7 news. if you have an overdue book from a san francisco library,

today is your day. the deal it's offering to get those books

the clouds are back on saturn's moon titan after disappearing in 2010. since then nasa's spacecraft happen watching for their return and today the space agency released these images showing wispy methane clouds floating over the moon's hydro carbon lakes. scientists had expected a few more. now they're looking at how the clouds are connected to titan's version of summer. chrysler unveiled a concept car at the consumer electronics show today that it says will be the dream vehicle for any millennial. this is the all-electric portal. kri chrysler said it was developed after two decades of research. naturally that means selfies. the car can take a photo riding in all six seats and then send the image to everyone's device. and the car's stereo system has zoned audio allowing each

passenger to listen to different things without headphones. chrysler says the portal is just an idea with no actual development plans. >> slick, though. well, the raiders will ask a rookie quarterback to make his first career start as a pro in the team's biggest game in 14 years. connor cook will lead oakland on the road against the houston texans on saturday. cook stepped into sunday's game in denver after second-string qb matt mcgloin was hurt. regular starter, of course, derek carr is still out recovering from a broken leg. the raiders are making their first playoff appearance since playing in the super bowl following the 2002 season. raider nation, you can watch your team kick off wild card weekend against the texans right here on abc 7. live coverage starts at noon on saturday with kickoff at 1:30, all on abc 7. that's going to be very interesting. >> yes, it is. still ahead, finding a home for president of the past. >> what one shuttered museum is

coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00 -- the impact of the storm, the bay area city bracing for wet weather problems. the deadly ghost ship warehouse fire is a reminder we all need to be prepared for an emergency. 7 on your side has tips for escaping a dangerous situation. also at 6:00, words of wisdom from an 11-year-old boy. he's becoming a welcome sight for weary subway commuters. that's all coming up in half an hour. finally tonight, though, a shuttered pennsylvania museum that boasted wax figures of all 44 presidents is putting those exhibits up for auction. >> the hall of presidents and first ladies museum in gettysburg closed in november after 60 years in business. the museum's collection of life-size wax figures of presidents and first ladies now needs a home. >> they have been auctioned off -- they're being auctioned off individually along with other historic exhibits, including historic photos of president eisenhower. >> the auction is planned for january 14th.

people who are interested can bid in person or do it over the fun. that might be fun right in the entryway of your home. >> thanks for joining us. tonight, the drama in washington. president-elect donald trump sending a message to congress after a late-night effort to get rid of an independent ethics board. their first order of business, the fallout tonight and the big headline involving the bushes and the clintons and the inauguration. the deadly twisters. we're on the scene tonight. at least a dozen tornadoes reported and now heavy snow and freezing rain moving into the northeast. the urgent manhunt at this hour for an escaped prisoner considered armed and dangerous. searching across several states. a airport nightmare. thousands of passengers trapped for hours coast to coast. computers crashing. and tonight, we now know why. and the toddler who survives this dresser falling on top of him. his 2-year-old twin there, lifting it off. their mother and the two boys right here tonight.