and feel safe and learn a lot. >> we want to thank all of the schools that have reached out to abc 7 news about their walkouts and let us know what was going to be happening today. we're encouraging everyone to share their experiences on social media. please use the #walk out bay area. here in union city, the students are scheduled to walk out about 9:50. there will be chants and speeches. there will also be a die-in and a 17 minutes of silence for all of the kids who were killed in florida. reporting live in union city, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. amy, thank you. the man charged with the shooting rampage that sparked the walkout is going to be back in court this morning. 19-year-old nikolas cruz faces arraignment on 34 counts, including 17 counts of premeditated murder, one for each of the 17 people he's accused of shooting at stoneman douglas high school.

prosecutors filed notice they intend to seek the death penalty. cruz's lawyer said he was ready to plead guilty if they took the death penalty off the table. the only other sentence is life in prison without parole. let's look at the storm impact scale for today. 1 for scattered showers. they could bring a brief downpour. locally breezy conditions. a chance of lightning and hail as we head throughout the day. here's the way it shapes we've got light showers. no 60s. still a few 50s around. the 60s from yesterday, gone. by noon, the chance increases. low to mid-50s. low to mid-50s at 4:00. the chance will taper quickly as the energy needed for the thunderstorm development will move on. by 7:00, we should be fairly dry with low to mid-50s.

just dress warmer for temperatures falling into the 40s if you're out during the evening hours. let's see if alexis has any other hotspots to tell you about. >> no. overall, looking okay, mike. much better start than yesterday. as you mentioned, we have rain out there in a few areas this morning. this is the bay bridge toll plaza. we have a shower pushing through over the mid span. it's looking soggy there as well. no metering lights yet. no crashes along that route. we have wet pavement. make sure you're driving for conditions. we are slowly starting to recover westbound 205 to 580. tracy to dublin. this was one hour 12 minutes a couple moments ago. it's down to 1 hour 4 minutes. all lanes back open from the crash at mountain house parkway. northbound 85 between 101 and cupertino, you look great in the green at 16 minutes. 4:32 now. stephen hawking has passed away. the 76-year-old was widely considered the greatest living scientist.

he worked with roger penn rose. pe lived with als or lou gehrig's disease since 1963. he was confined to a wheelchair and relied on a speech synthesizer. he's survived by three children and three grandchildren. natasha, the whole world is reacting to his death this morning. here at the live desk, i want to show you the social reaction. sam smith posted about hawking. only about an hour ago. his tweet says, science is not only a disiep will of reason but one of romance and passion. okay. so that's a quote from stephen hawking. then smith goes on to say, what an incred bkrecredible human. every time we look at the stars, we will think of you, stephen hawking. >> remembering stephen hawking, a renowned physicist and a.m.

baambassador of science. may you keep flying like superer man in micro gravity as you said to astronauts in the year 2014. pil have more reaction throughout the newscast. president trump will head back to washington. this is the second day of the president's first trip to california since he was elected. he spent part of tuesday inspecting prototypes of the border wall and couldn't resist taking a shot at governor brown and mayor schaaf. >> i think governor brown has done a poor job running california. high taxes. sanctuary cities with criminals living in the sanctuary cities and the mayor of oakland goes out and notifies when i.c.e. is going to pick them up and many were criminals and dangerous people. >> the president provided no evidence to back up his claims. earlier, he told military

personnel he wants to create a space army. >> 600 people packed into a mountain view auditorium to listen to controversial political pundit ann coulter. kate larsen was at the event hosted by the liberty forum of silicon valley. zeroed in on one issue. >> ann coulter took the stage to a sold-out crowd in mountain view. >> she has some ideas that a lot of people disagree with. >> i just like to go see people in person, get a different perspective on what they're like. >> the political commentator did not allow cameras to record her speech. she spent much of the night talking about immigration. she's unhappy with his so far campaign promise to build a wall. >> jury is out. you have an incomplete until i see the wall. >> outside the community center, coulter addressed getting disinvited to speak at uc

berkeley after university officials said they couldn't guarantee a safe venue. >> yes. i think i need to speak. we have a first amendment. >> private security checked every guest upon entry and mountain view police monitored the crowd. two officers from the university of colorado boulder to scope out potential issues for a visit of her to their campus next week. >> very small amount. administrators doing their jobs and police doing their jobs. it does not have to be so expensive going forward for every conservative speaker. >> we saw one protester outside the parking lot. in mountain view, kate larsen, abc 7 news. senate democrats and top republicans are signaling that preft's president trump's choices will not have smooth confirmation hearings. she will be asked about her involvement with torture. she ran a so-called black prison

site in thailand where they were p. people were subjected to harsh interrogation tactics, including waterboarding. hundreds of parents are planning to protest at tonight's unified school district meeting. many parents saying the curriculum for sex ed from 4 to 6th grade is inappropriate. it will kill the innocence of their children. they're also upset about the district's plans for a new high school science course. parents say the district is ruling out the next generation science standards but believe students are not ready for it. .past two implementations have .past two implementations have been failures. most of us in the upper 40s. mountain view, san jose, exceptions in the 50s. we had that light shower go through so you can see the sheen and the shine from that newly

fallen rain. that's what you have to be careful for this morning. even where it's not raining right now, may still be slippery spots. damp spots from the rain yesterday. more rain coming today. dress warmer if you're taking mass transit. the bus or b.a.r.t. to come. caution for all of those. temperatures not nearly as warm as they were yesterday morning. but yesterday afternoon, kind of chill in the air, that's the way it feels this afternoon with mid to upper 50s. as far as san francisco, we're staying in the 40s from 8:00 to 10:00. barely in the 50s from noon to 6:00. notice our best chance of rain stops after the lunch hour. there will be random showers out. they're definitely going to taper. as far as the east bay valleys, our best chance of showers up to 2:00 and tapering from 4:00 to 8:00. 48 at 8:00. hang out in the mid-50s most of the day. make it to 57 at 4:00 for the

warm spot. tonight's temperatures, look at this, dropping into the mid and upper 30s in the north bay valleys, east bay valleys. you still see green on the mat and white around lake county. in mendocino county also. the snow level dropping to 3,000 feet. the chance of rain, everybody today and tomorrow, friday and saturday -- it looks like that will be the driestf days this weekend. i know you like to get outside with a bambino once in a while. >> every day. stopped raining just in time for our walk yesterday afternoon. timed out perfectly. >> i'm so happy to hear that. >> hopefully we can do the same today. so far, we're looking good on the roads. yesterday, we had a lot of crashes, likely due to the weather. we do have wet pavement as mike has been telling us. i have live doppler 7 on top of the traffic maps. here we go. a shower pushing through. it was over gold ep gate when we went on the air at 4:30 in the

morning. the richmond-san rafael bridge as well. parts of hercules. yeah. it's definitely out there still this morning. not nearly as widespread. here's a live look at the richmond side of the richmond-san rafael bridge on 580. you can see puddles there. slow down and drive for conditions. we don't have many crashes yet. i'll keep an eye on that. we'll look at drive times at 4:50. thanks, alexis. lyft is slapped with a lawsuit of people discriminating against them. >> anyone can come in here 24/7 and do pretty nasty things. >> some bay area veterans are living in fear. the new concerns about safety following a shooting at the following a shooting at the yountville veterans

we're back at 4:43. let's start with looking at what's going to happen around the state. showers finally reaching so cal. mid-60s there. 74 in palm springs. mid upper 50s with showers through the central valley turning into snow as we head to the sierra. we still have that winter storm warning until 5:00. look what happens tomorrow. at 5:00 in the evening, through saturday, 5:00 in the morning, a winter storm watch for another 1 to 3 feet of snow. 2 to 6 feet possible at pass

levels. it's going to be a nightmare to goat tahoe friday and saturday morning, saturday afternoon and sunday, look at all that snow. it's waiting for you if you can get there. my accuweather seven-day forecast, we have the heavier snow coming, tapering showers. after the deadly shooting at a yountville veterans facility, they're demanding tighter security. lisa amin gulezian spoke to about their concerns. >> security? what security? >> they have pepper spray and batons. they're not armed. >> with no security, no gate guard, no fencing, anyone can come in here 24/7 and do some pretty nasty things if they really wanted to. >> reporter: members of the yountville veterans group, veterans living on site are demanding more be done after friday's deadly shooting.

albert wong, a former patient suffering from ptsd killed three staffers, wong was also found dead. >> saturday morning there shoul have been a public safety officer stationed at the entry with barriers up. >> reporter: the entrance is wide open. the veterans asked cal vet, the agency which runs the home, to do more. here's the response we got. quote, the safety and well-being of residents and staff is cal vet's highest priority and security will continue to be part of our ongoing discussions. jim thomas read their e-mail. >> that's about as shallow as saying thank you for your service. >> reporter: meantime, the investigation is being led by the california highway patrol. the memorial for the three victims will take place monday, march 19th. in yountville, lisa amin gulezian, abc 7 news. sdplierj it's quarter to 5:00 now. cases filed in alameda court accuses lyft of discriminating

against those using wheelchairs. the company does have wheelchair accessible vehicles. the service is inadequate. uber faces a number of lawsuits pertaining to the lack of services it offers to people with mobility challenges. sdpliefrmgts a bill that would ban smoking has taking a step forward. a senate committee approved a legislation. cigarette butts continue to litter beaches. governor brown vetoed a similar bill. they made changes to the legislation in hopes to get the governor's approval this time. the bill is set to be voted in the coming weeks in the appropriations committee. you're never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. we have scattered showers today. >> mother nature putting them with our busiest commuters. done vacaville to vallejo,

there's one of our showers. you can see highway 4 and 80 from hercules all the way down to the maze and over the bay bridge to san francisco, wet right now. that's going to clip 24 also and head towards walnut creek and concord. and then you can see 101 from about the 37 interchange all the way to san rafael through lucas valley. lucas valley road. that's where we have another shower. those folks who drive that, watch out for some puddles. definitely going to be wet. all of this is rotating in a counter clockwise fashion from southwest to northeast. notice behind it. there's a little bit of a break. here's the action from overni t overnight. look at sfo. there may be delays this morning. as soon as i find out, i'll let you know at mike nicco, abc 7. here's my accuweather highlights. showers linger tonight. we'll try to salvage a dry sunday for the weekend. 7:00 in the morning, you can see the first waves of showers gone.

around mendocino county, there's a little bit of rain there. by noon, the chance of thunderstorms reemerges, especially in the north bay and moving on to the peninsula. by 4:00, they're rotating off to the east. a few lingering showers as we start the evening commute. look at that. by the end of the evening commute, it's pretty quiet. starting tomorrow, lingering light showers once again. maybe moderate downpours by account. then you can see the showers through the evening hours. going to be a little more active tomorrow than what we're dealing with today. then by the time we get to friday, snow level down to around 3,000 feet with thunderstorms possible again. some showers possible saturday morning. fingers crossed. luck of the irish. you may get a dry evening on saturday. there's alexis. >> is that a pot of gold on your graphic? i like that. check out the roads here. we have a new issue for our drivers coming from marin county. southbound 101. the sausalito area, before you get to the robin williams

tunnel, we have reports of a crash. not many details yet. chp for the -- you can see a bit of a delay. i'm trying to confirm how many lanes are blocked. i will follow-up with you on that coming up in lest than ten minutes. here's a quick check of golden gate bridge once you make it past that collision. zipper trucks just came through the area. you have a little more room on the southbound side. not many folks out yet. next traffic update coming up at 6:05. expanding grocery delivery service. >> fit bit unveiled answers to the apple watch. walmart is ramping up grocery delivery service. >> they plan to expand to 100 metropolitan areas by the end of the year, up from just six. items would be delivered by walmart or an outside service like uber. fit bit has a second smart watch, tverse a. >> it tracks your fitness and you can answer texts or music

and use apps. goes on sale next month. the price tag, $200. one of the guys who founded google, is looking at pilotless airplanes. they're working on air taxis. kitty hawk is hoping to take off first, within three years. >> fly to work. >> it is a race. >> have a great day. amazon issuing a recall of one of its products. a fire danger that it could pose. >> a warning about eating bay area shellfish. a person falls ill to the very thing we were warned about. >> announcer: the abc 7 storm impact scale. today's storm is level 1. that means light rain. keep an umbrella handy and drive safely. track the storm any time on the track the storm any time on the abc 7

you're never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. everybody threatened by thunderstorms today. a chance of lightning and hail. speaking of the weekend, an hour by hour look headed this weekend. that's coming up next. new this morning, russia is now responding to the sudden firing of secretary of state rex tillerson. a spokesperson for president putin said he's hoping a new secretary of state will improve

the relationship between the two countries. as we told you yesterday, president trump has nominated cia director pompeo to take over for tillerson. putin's spokesperson told reporters early this morning, the relationship with the u.s., quote, can hardly go lower than the floor. he said he's not worried about things getting any worse. of course, right now an investigation by special counsel robert mueller continues into how russia was involved in the 2016 presidential campaign, which is certainly strained relationships further. thank you, reggie. a person is in the hospital after getting sick from mussels collected at a beach. they issued a warning about -- the victim collected mussels in marin county on sunday. that victim was rushed to the hospital after suffering from neurological symptoms. a warning was issued about a naturally occurring toxin found in mussels, clams and scallops. that was from marin, san francisco and san mateo

counties. that warning was for seafood collected at beaches. it does not affect seafood you buy in a store. you're never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. we'll start friday morning. like deja vu. scattered showers for the commute. they become more numerous during the day and taper in the evening hours and hug the coast friday night. it will slide south. we could bake up to a few showers on saturday. most of saturday will be pretty quiet. let's see how much rain until the quiet pattern develops. how about a half inch to an inch from most of the bay into the north bay. take a look at your accuweather 12-hour planner coming up in less than seven minutes. what are you seeing this morning, alexis? >> back to the sausalito area. we had a rollover crash reported north of the robin williams tunnel on southbound 101. chp is saying actually there was no rollover crash there. i think there was some type of collision. but they have cleared that.

all lanes are open and we're back in the green. sort of a false alarm. things are looking better there. a shower did just push through. you can see the sheen on the pavement. we have wet traveling conditions today. slow down and take it easy. we are recovering out of the tracy area from an earlier crash. we'll check on that at 5:00. amazon recalling six models of its own brand of portable power banks. >> these can be used as backup power for your mobile devices. michael finney alerted us to this recall yesterday. the federal trade commission says they can overheat and catch fire. an estimated 260,000 were sold between 2014 and 2017. you can find the exact model numbers on our website, abc7news.com. if you have one, stop using it immediately and contact amazon for a refund. another turn in the taser debate. the move expected to address the concern of critics. also, caught on video, a girl waits to cross a busy street in san jose.

it's what happens next that has police searching for a driver this morning. also an accident in a monterey county school sends a student to the hospital. why it could add fuel to the debate over arming teachers. debate over arming teachers. ♪

good morning. it's 5:00 a.m. on this wednesday, march 14th. >> you're never more than seven minutes away from your accuweather forecast. don't put away your umbrella just yet, right, mike? >> yes, that is a good point. because we have rain today, tomorrow and even friday. or at least chances of it. not all of us getting rain this morning. it's knot going to be quiet like yesterday where it was a complete washout during the commute. you can see scattered showers from the san mateo bridge northward. we're going to put a 1 on the storm impact scale for the scattered showers. chance of lightning and hail as we head into the latter parts of the