>> new this morning, more californians are traveling this holiday season. that means a bump inside oakland international airport. a bird watcher stumbles on a dead woman's body. we have the exclusive interview. it is christmas eve eve, december 23rd and this is today in the east bay. >> good morning, everyone.

scott has a well-deserved morning off. the time is 4:30 and we start with rob with the east bay forecast. good morning, rob. >> the rain moved on this morning and you may find patchy fog. 46 in oakland. we have fog and temperatures in the 30s. visibility is down to a quarter mile. weather will be the travel concern of the morning. the rain moved on and a storm is approaching tomorrow. winds for the weekend and more rain headed our way. high temperatures 55 degrees around livermore and into the delta we will see temperatures in the mid 50s. a full look at the weekend forecast and that christmas day storm on the way getting started late friday night. >> more californians of traveling this holiday season

according to aaa. today is expected to be a busy get away day since tomorrow is a holiday for many businesses. christie smith is live with a look at how the bay area is taking off. >> good morning. there is already a steady crowd here at the airport. we are at terminal two and southwest is inside. this is the busy terminal. there is already a line at the southwest counter even though it doesn't open until 5:00 in the morning. at oakland, expect it to be the busiest travel days of the week. they are expecting a slight increase of 1% to 2%. travelers advised to check the status of their flight before they head out because of snowstorms elsewhere. we saw a couple of delays to d.c. and southern california.

according to aaa, 3% more californians are heading out by car, air, and rail this year. they are saying it's a sign that just maybe the economy is recovering. we spoke with a couple of travelers about that idea and we will tell you what they think in about 30 minutes. live in oakland, christie smith today in the east bay. we are learning more about a gruesome discovery. a woman's body half naked and throat slit found in the alameda estuary. a man who found her was a bird watcher. >> a bird enthusiast was waiting for low tide to take pictures of birds and made a gruesome discovery. >> i thought it was a homeless person who didn't make it

through the night or -- >> the 68-year-old agreed to talk to us by phone said he drove to the usual spot along the shoreline in martin luther king regional park on tuesday. around 4:00 p.m. he made the horrifying discovery. >> i thought there was a possibility that she was hypothermic and might be alive. >> he looked and saw she was not breathing. >> her throat was slashed and there was no blood. >> he saw marks on her arm which may mean she put up a fight. he ran to his cell phone and called police. >> the female's body did appear to have signs of foul play. it is being treated as a homicide investigation at this time. >> with a mystery victim. the dead body appeared to have been dumped there. it's only known as jane doe. >> the way we figure out who these people are is from tips

from the community and people calling us and letting us know if they have loved ones missing and reviewing missing persons records. >> who she is and how she ended up there will haunt him forever. >> i don't understand how anybody under any circumstances could do that to another person. >> if you have information that can help police, contact them immediately. today in the east bay. sex offenders are getting around a law that is supposed to restrict where they can live. at least a few dozen are challenging jessica's law that preventing them from living near a school or park. they issue stays allowing parolees to ignore the ban pending rulings in their case. often the slow pace mean the stays last until parole expires and they can continue to live

near a school or park. >> raiders fans enjoy a game with the broncos, a female parking a tent ant was beaten and robbed. two men have been charged. the suspected gang member stole several thousand dollars from an attendant. one struck the woman in the head with a gun and took money. they were found not long after hiding under a truck. mall elves need more than christmas spirit. they need their $8 an hour paycheck. elves at broadway plaza didn't get their money when payday came. the company that hired them said a payroll error is to blame and they should be paid this morning. >> oakland's mayor-elect jean quan is looking for someone to run the city. a search for an administrator is under way.

quan will be sworn in january 3rd. she will hope to find a new administrator soon. an east bay businessman is helping to drive the city back to financial health. the president of the auto center will match donations made to the city up to $100,000. he donated money for bullet-proof vests. that's one of the largest sales tax generators in east contra costa county. park goers will have a new place to enjoy. they landed a $1 million federal grant. the money will be used f grasslands and provide access to the public to the area. the transformation will let people enjoy access to the shore. a richmond nonprofit is

getting an infusion of cash. three east bay area groups will get $420,000 in grant money. clients will help and keep jobs, save money and deal with debt. it will open in march. it is expected to focus on folks who are newly homeless. needy families are getting extra help over the holidays. the offices of jewish family serfs are filled with christmas presents. they serve many families, many are not jewish. many are living in contra costa county. donations are welcome as the group is helping some 120 families this year. a new york yankee with bay area ties is using money to help women in need. cc sabathia had a makeover at the rosewood house that helps women who are starting recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.

the foundation's members will help carpet, paint, and landscape the house and replace mattresses. here's rob. >> we are watching changes in the forecast. pleasant changes for now. we will leave the rain out, but patchy fog out towards the pass this morning and around the north bay. 44 degrees in livermore and 46 in hayward. 44 degrees currently around fairfield. the weather headlines with patches of fog and areas of clouds. we should stay dry until friday, but changes kick up and saturday the rain am cans back, but packs a one, two punch. gusty winds and heavy rain around midday on saturday. the rain moved on and southern california getting a much-needed break. this is a system getting its acting to and into friday night and saturday, midday on

christmas, heavy rain blasts through the area and gusty winds. heaviest totals for the coastal mountains. towards the north bay, two to three inches in the wettest locations and about an inch or less around the rest of the bay. more showers will follow-up for sunday after the saturday storm. around the bay area, temperatures in the 50s by livermore. 56 for san francisco and 56 around concord. as we take a look at the seven-day forecast, we will catch a brief break. patchy fog and things turning windy and a lot of rain and wind for saturday and showers to finish off the upcoming weekend. >> thank you very much. from the outdoor scenery to a change in the indoor scenery. this is the temporary home while the news set is being assembled. we will be in our new digs in a couple of weeks. check that out. the president orders new rules for nursing mothers in the workplace. see the group he is targeting.

fruitcake not the only thing you have to watch out for. the safest food picks and what you want to avoid. a live look at b bridge. a we have a brick from then.ai r reob is right with that one. how's it going in there, hon? um, almost ready. [ car alarm blaring ] [ blaring echoes, fades ]

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>> time is 4:43.

welcome back. that's the san mateo bridge you are looking at. traffic won't be too bad. it's a holiday week. stay away from the shopping malls. temperatures looking downright mild this time of year. with two days left until christmas, the rush is on to find the last minute presents. it won't be closing doors at all until christmas eve. toys 'r us in the middle of shopping and selling spree. they are keeping doors open for customers 24 hours a day through 10:00 on christmas eve. they are not the only one staying open. several wal-mart and walgreen stores will be open 24 hours. let's get another check of the weather with rob. that includes a wet christmas. not a white christmas, but a wet christmas. >> we have to watch the winds now that the soil is saturated. you have to watch the wind

speeds from friday afternoon. the radar is dry and the system that brought heavy rain across california is moving towards arizona. heavy snow towards the rockies. look what's happening. a system will get its act together and high clouds spiing in. in terms of the rain, we are thinking early saturday and right around lunchtime on christmas day, good downpours and embedded thundershowers if the cold front races through. you will see the gusty winds around friday afternoon into saturday. highs around the east bay and beyond, low 50s and seeing temperatures near 58 in oakland and 55 around fairfield and 56 in pittsburgh. the seven-day forecast shows things dry through tomorrow and the break won't last long. wind and rain. the rain heavy at times for the coastal mountains and wins at 25 to 30 miles per hour. that will get your attention there. showers to wrap wrap up of the

weekend. a quick check of the commute what there is of it. we are looking good there. you pass antioch and pittsburgh. there is patchy fog right now with the traffic. it is not impacting your travel. 580 if you are thinking of heading out. everything is on time here at 4:46 this morning. >> thank you very much. the dow is back to pre-lehman brothers levels. for more news on what's happening before the bell, michelle is live at cnbc. >> the bulls are running supreme. we will take a look at how wall street opens, but futures are flat this morning. other big stories we are following, skype in your neck of the woods, the internet phone

service joint suffered a major outage on wednesday. service was back up and running, but skype said it will be several hours before it's fully operational. no word on what caused it, but the last time skype had a major break down like this was' 07 after a major upgrade. huge holiday sales and a lot of them are pulling out stops to make sure you get last minute gifts whether it's supposed to be on time. today is the line in the sand for a deadline. if you want your present guaranteed to be there by christmas. according to 60% of chains pulled by the national retail federation. amazon will deliver items ordered on christmas eve for 3.99 per item. niemann marcus has free overnight shipping for anything ordered by 12:59 p.m.

express shipping for gifts to arrive tomorrow. this may be for your wife. tiffany's is always a good option. little blue box, free shipping for everything ordered by today. >> an updated version of a device that tracks your driving habits. snapshot monitors when someone drives, mileage and how hard they use their brakes. the insurance company said it doesn't track where they are. they give drivers discounts on insurance. the new version is rolled out in michigan and an earlier version is out in 27 states and more than 100,000 customers have signed up. schools and hospitals are scrambling to train doctors. there won't be enough to train the people newly insured under the health care system. the country could be as many as

150,000 doctors short in the next 15 years. the demand will be for primary care physicians. changes are coming for nursing mothers who are federal workers. president obama wants a breast-feeding policy in place for employees. he issued a memo asking them to draft the rules. the changes are mandated in the bill passed this year that requires new breast-feeding rights especially for hourly workers and a shurs them they won't be discriminated against for breast-feeding or pumping of milk in breaks or lunch. >> president obama left with more than many thought he would get. he is throwing together a series of legislative wins with a little republican help. he got treated with a repeal of don't ask don't tell and other items. as brian moore reports, the incoming congress will not be as generous.

. >> president obama is off on his holiday hawaiian vacation and happy to get out of town on a high note. >> this has been the most productive post election president in decades. >> in the senate he won his signature foreign policy achievement, the start treaty with russia. >> the motion is adopted. >> the house overwhelmingly passed aid for the first responders of 9/11 before going home. the president signed the repeal of don't ask don't tell into law. he said his biggest disappointment was the failure of the dream act. his bipartisan tax compromise was a bitter pill for some members of his own party, but it demonstrated the diplomacy he will need as republicans take the reigns in the house. >> my sense is the republicans recognize that with greater

powers come greater responsibility. >> president obama said the final weeks of this lame duck congress show he and republicans can work together. in a few weeks will have plenty of chances to prove it. brian moore, nbc news, washington. we want to look ahead at what's coming up later on today in the bay. for that we say good morning to marla tellez working on the stories that matter to you. good morning. >> good morning to you at home. we are enterprising international news achl stern threat from north korea. we will bring you the latest. sunrise will bring clean up for those who live in southern california who are suffering through floods and mudslides women will have a live report. >> just in case you are the ultimate procrastinator, one online store is offering same day delivery this season. bob redell has a special guest from a special place. we will check in with him later

in the show. see you in a few. >> a today in the bay holiday tradition. can't wait. speaking of the holidays, you may want to lighten the load. shouldering family demans and worries weighs heavy on the chest. mundane itch researchers followed adults with good heart health and those with worrisome or demanding relationships were two to three times more likely to develop angina or chest pain. worry was leaked to a doubling of angina and arguing with friends was insignificant, frequent arguments with a partner increased by 44% and disagreements with a neighbor increased by 60%. people can serve themselves whatever they want, but you may be serving up a side of food

poisoning. experts say if you plan buffet, skip mayo and egg-based dishes. double dipping three to six times can transfer 10,000 bacteria from mouth to the bowl. it picks up the most spreading germs easily. for the most part, if you can keep hot things hot and cold things on ice, you should have the makings for a great and bacteria-free party. >>ar a major recall affecting diabetes patients. glucose strips were pulled after giving inaccurate results. the recalled strips may give a false low blood sugar result that cause patients to raise their glucose unnecessarily or avoid treating high blood sugar because of the reading.

the ski slopes are waiting and now is the best time to go. the roads are clear and open. merchants think everyone was scared with the storm talk lined on the slopes and the lines are short or nonexistent. the conditions are spectacular with record breaking snow levels at all the resorts. for people looking at dvds, a christmas carol with jim carry is among your choices. there other titles more under the radar. we have a few in the holiday edition in the video view. 15 gingerbread houses. some things don't change. >> going home for the holidays takes on a different meaning. a widow had intentions of buying up the home she grew up in finding a man from her past beat her.

>> i will be able to get revenge on the mangy mutt that made us spend last christmas behind bars. >> holding the hopes for a happy holiday season. a police dog named zeus joins his family for a holiday that could be ruined by jewel thieves. >> they are come hearing to see our nativity and we'll all be famous. >> they get ramped up with the comedy nativity. >> there is not a next round. >> this offer starts martin freeman who plays an elementary school teacher caught up in a competition to outdo a rifle school's production. the ghost of tv christmases past. it's a collection of sitcom episodes from years ago including cheers, happy days and

way, way back, tv's answer to the polar express, petty coat junction. >> merry christmas, everybody. >> that's the holiday view. nbc news. >> coming up on today in the bay, a possible sign of life on other planets. we will take a look. relive the giants world series run. we will tell you where and how. taking green to a new level. a group of countries talk talking about doing away with the light bulb. marla is coming up on the back side of this break. [ female announcer ] what will you gain when you lose?™

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announcer: in this season of hope, you can do something extraordinary. join your neighbors and the american red cross and help save the day. visit redcross.org.

>> new this morning, if you are traveling this holiday season, have a lot of company. travel is up. we will show you a live look from oakland international airport. >> taking action, what the epa said it's going to do about reports of a cancer-as you causing chemical in bay area drinking water. a manhunt is under way after a deadly shooting. we will tell you what to look out for to help police catch the shooter. good morning. it's about 5:00 on this thursday