visit redcross.org. new this morning, it's quiet right now at the east bay airport, but you can bet on that changing at travelers start heading home. live in oakland international and i will have much more coming up in a live report. aren't you glad you live here and not where people are dealing with major snow in the east. how it's affecting travelers trying to get out of the bay area. it is monday december 27th today in the east bay.

>> good monday morning. hope you had a great christmas. scott is off this morning. time is 4:30. wanted to get you started with christina loren who has a look at the forecast. we are glad we are not on the east coast. >> boy are we glad. it's chilly here, but nothing compared to what they are deeing with. we will look at that. locally looking good in the east bay. 45 degrees in concord. if you are headed from the east bay to the north bay, you have to deal with patchy fog. watch out for a quarter mile visibility. give yourself extra time and take it easy. 58 degrees in san francisco. we are looking towards about 57 degrees in concord. 58 in san ramon. let's take a look at the blizzard conditions. the good news is the blizzard is moving off to the northeast and right now it's clearing new york city and philadelphia.

it will take days for them to dig out of the snow. for more on that, back to brent. >> we will get to more snow coverage in a moment, but mike inouye said look no further than the lower deck of the bay bridge. >> we rarely have to look further than that for a traffic problem. eastbound 80 to the east bay, blocking two lanes for a few minutes, but a bridge crew is over to the oakland side and the approach through the maze. westbound and northbound. i say commute, but that's a loose term between christmas and new year's. from the north bay where christina did warn you, keep that in mind as we headed back to you. you might have lower visibility, but the east bay is flowing smoothly on towards the interchange. >> before you take your family

to the airport, call ahead. the storm of the century is on the east coast and it has a ripple effect across the country. kimberly terry is live at oakland international airport with how bay area travelers might be affected. >> so far so good. no major delays out of the bay area airports, but that could and likely will change as the daywears on. the problem is not with local flights, but the stops they make along the way and the final destination. the storm is causing a nightmare with travelers trying to get home. they are not expected to reopen until later on this afternoon or tonight if at all. yesterday at san francisco international, 35 flights were canceled because of the blizzard on the northeast corridor. >> we are on hold with continental for over 10 hours

total. we just showed up thinking maybe face-to-face will be better. here in oakland, the problem is less severe since she's airports don't have as many direct flights back east. more cancelations expected as a monster storm has record-setting snow from the carolinas to new england. they are trying to contact them in advance to let them know about canceled flights to get them rescheduled. there is it is a good idea to call ahead or logon line if you are headed back east today. live in oakland, today in the east bay. thanks a lot and good advice there. the search is on for two gunmen. what happened on montecito avenue near bay blais after 6:30, police released few details and no one was hurt. police are looking for two men in connection with a shooting outside a bar in union city.

the men fought with security officers in the bar and one suspect fired at least one round in front of the building as they left. that happened at 9:00 thursday night. the suspects got into a pick up and sped off on to east al va raddo boulevard and no one was hurt. antioch police are attacking city leaders for a new round of officer layoffs. the police officer's association passed out flyers showing the faces and contact information for five aspect ok city councilmembers and the city manager saying that they are responsible for the layoffs. city leaders defend their decision saying that the union is unwilling to compromise and enforce the move. antioch is bound by contract to give officers pay raises. antioch said that the raises will cost the city nearly $600,000 and it needs to make cuts. the crimestoppers reward program in oakland is paying off big.

oakland police say the partnership as well as reward money resulted in hundreds of arrest over the past years. crime stoppers solved 79 case this is year alone. last year it helped crack 62 cases. more than $100,000 in reward money has been handed out. when we usher in the new year, the state is going to usher in several new laws. here's a look at a few of them. an internet-based exchange will let people shop for health insurance. possessing up to an ounce of marijuana becomes a misdemeanor. no more serious than a speeding ticket. another law holds parents accountable for their children's attendance in school. they could face up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine if their children miss too much school. water rates will go up. the water district wants to raise rates by 8%. that would be about $36 a year

for most homeowners. the hike would go into effect in march after a public hearing in february. if approved the rates would be in the lower third among the bay area water agencies. the alameda county district serves fremont, newark, and union city. walnut creek has a new person in charge at city hall. ken noerd hoff holes the top office. he said he is a listener and a problem solver. he left his job to work as walnut creek's new top administrator and said the city needs a targeted development plan and must attract emerging industries. >> holiday cheer continues for many of us and so does the crack down on drunk drivers. the sheriff's office is increasing patrols on streets until january 2nd that means two deputies will number each of seven patrol cars from 8:00 to 4:00 in the morning, looking for drunk drivers.

the number of dui arrests is about the same as last year during the chp's maximum enforcement period between friday night and suspected morning. they arrested 507 people for drunk driving state-wide compared to 552 duis in the same period last year. the number of impaired drivers arrested is up from last year. we want to check in with mike for the morning commute. at least we don't have the big rain coming down. you may have to watch out for fog and disabled vehicle. >> in the north bay, we will hear more about the fog, but lower visibility there. visibility is fine on the deck of the bridge, but maybe clouds hovering around the bay. the lower deck, the disabled vehicle clear and there is no real slowing there. times approaching through the maze. no problems as far as the speeds go we are close to the limit on the freeway. 24 out of the caldecott and 880 through oakland.

it's a lighter volume this week, we will see highway 4 and show speeds into the 40s and probably about an hour from now. 580 showing slowing as well. right now things are moving nicely and a lighter volume with the watch. sometimes those are the days with the most unexpected slowing. >> let's check with christina with a little bit of a lull here. >> it's kind of a nice break. all things will change, especially into tomorrow night. a potent storm on the way and possibly bringing us our first mountain snow. for the east bay, if you are moving from concord to the north bay, watch out for patchy dense fog on the way. visibility is reduced about a quarter of a mile. fog moves around at this time of the morning. take it easy out there and be prepared to slow down. this is the next system that will start to impact us as early as tomorrow evening. looking good at 59 degrees in

redwood city. 58 for mo raga and 58 in half moon bay. oakland with about 59. a lot of sunshine and clouds increasing for the second half and the rain returns tomorrow. we will talk about how much we are expecting, coming up. >> thanks a lot and also coming up, the winter storm in the east is shake things up around the country. we will have an update on the ripple effects from holiday travel to football in a few minutes. >> now that you have the gadgets for christmas, the best way to hook them up and use them. >> this is lieutenant commander glen here in germany. i would like to greet my wife and also the american population community in northern california. a very merry christmas and happy holidays.

>> this is stephannie anderson n kuwait. i want to say hi to my mom in california. i love and you i can't wait to come home. welcome back and time is 4:43 and a live look outside this morning. fairly mild temperatures to start the day. this is kind of the break in

between storms. we will have the full forecast in a little bit. a special honor for the members of the military on holiday leave. the sentinels of freedom will hold a welcome home ceremony for service members from the trivalley. leaders from dublin, san ramon and danville will present proclaimations of special rec and the public is invited to attend. they will be at the community room and that gets started at 5:30 today. we want to check in with mike inouye taking a peek at the monday morning forecast. >> not so bad. we had the disabled vehicle clear and we have oakland where we had a little bit of police activity. that's where you see it. it's on city streets around 11th and brush. there was a pursuit and oakland pd has someone in custody. if you saw the sirens and the lights going through the area, that's what was going on there.

it is off the freeway and not blocking any lanes. in hayward with an easy drive as well as here approaching the san mateo bridge. it's a nice look and a live shot shows you a darker view. a disabled vehicle that has just cleared. the tail lights over to the peninsula are clear and no problems across the water so far. back to you. pa. >> we want to check in with christina loren. we are in this drying out spell before the next round. >> a little dry pocket for today. for the first part of tomorrow as well. we have more rain on the way. we are expecting more precipitation for the next storm than the christmas day storm. with all the moist from your what we did pick up, reduced visibilities and if you are headed from the east bay to the north, take it easy. the next system is moving in and could see up to two inches on the valley floor before all is said and done. the bulk of moisture will come

down from tomorrow night to early wednesday. sunshine and 57 for the beach and 57 today in pitsburg. looks like over the next couple of days, we will drop off and you have the frost on the windshield and even on the valley floor through friday and maybe our first dusting of mountain snow that looks likely in fact on saturday. we will talk more about that coming up. back to you. >> new this morning, wall street is under a blanket of snow. that will not stop investors from moving the santa rally into the new year. we want to turn to courtney reagan at world head quarters. >> good morning to you. futures are lower ahead of the opening bell as investors return to work after the holiday weekend. we did see u.s. marks rise about 1%. the fourth straight positive week for the dow and s&p and the fifth for the nasdaq.

asian markets fell overnight with china's rate hike on christmas day. some of the markets were closed and europe is lower. it's important to note that the uk also closed today. no economic data points, but we will get reports on housing, consumer confidence and un. . ment. 11,573. the nasdaq was off five points to 2665. the snow may have kept people on the east coast from hitting the sales, but analysts don't think it will be a major blow for retailers coming off the best shopping season since 2007. consumers came out in force. they expected 100,000 shoppers and still an important week for stores that make up less than 10% of the holiday season, but 15% of sales. back to you. >> many people got new tvs and

figuring out how to set it up and make it work best. we talk to an expert. >> it's what a lot of people lined up for on black friday in the freezing cold. those high def tvs offered this year at about the best price ever. >> we saw the steep mark downs on the hdtvs because there was a surplus. >> getting rid of them meant many ended up as gift this is christmas, but now comes the hook up, the hard part. >> it can be overwhelming and frustrating. it's pretty basic. >> the advice from eric hernandez, an electronics specialist in los angeles. don't be intimidated. >> they are very simple. they have the big diagram and a picture and the picture of the back of your tv. >> when you opt for an antenna to receive high def or cable, he said it's simple. >> you just need an hdmi cable

and plus it in the cable box and directly to the tv. >> if you are lucky, you got one of these. a digital touch screen universal remote. >> the coolest feature i like is it's one touch. if you look at the remote here, there is a watch tv button and you hit that and it turns on the tv and the cable box and the receiver and the audio. everything is set. >> even though you may not use it in the beginning, always keep the manual handy. for all electronics. chris clackum, nbc news. >> holiday shopping frenziy is not over yet. it is time to buy more stuff in the after christmas shopping. retailers are offering deals up to 75% off on holiday inventory and of course people are hunt aring for bargains and let's not forget the returns either. close to 33% of all gifts are going to be brought back to the store. if you plan to wait to return

your electronics, get to the mall in 20 days or else. >> you may discover that the retailer won't take it back or may charge a large restocking fee after that time table expired. >> among big ticket items, truck sales are up. auto nation reports they more than tripled over the last nine months. use it or lose it. as the end of the year approaches, people are scrambling to spend the cash in their flexible spending account. the pretax dollars are meant to be spent on medical ex-pens, but they expire at the end of the year. spending will be harder next year because over-the-counter drugs will not be eligible as an expense. you have to have a prescription. >> now would be the time to buy bandages and band-aids and adhesives and crutches or eyeglasses or contact lenses.

>> the average american leaves $85 in his or her account and lieus that. to avoid that, experts suggest you load your 2011 expenses if you can. the east coast is digging out from a massive winter storm. it dumped up to 18 inches in some areas. new england to the south was a white christmas weekend. tracie potts is in the center of the snow zone in washington, d.c., but avoided a big hit. >> with a foot or more of snow and traffic at a stand still, fierce winds left visibility at barely a quarter of a mile. >> we are doing everything to keep or roads safe and clear. >> all three of the major airports shut down. in boston travelers spent the night, hoping if are a flight hope. >> they are booked. there is about 25 to 50 people on stand by. >> grocery and hardware stores were packed.

>> shovels and rock salt and ice scrapers. sold a lost them. >> atlantic city got 19 inches. >> this is a blizzard. >> ridiculous out here. i don't think anybody can make it in this snow. >> the eagles and vikings games were canceled amid forecast that is the blizzard would hit at kickoff. >> these are not the conditions that you want to have a game under. >> it wasn't just up north. the south got hammered. in the carolinas, southern drivers not used to this much snow tried to have fun and be safe. >> i'm going to have to drive today. just have to take it easy. >> nearly a foot of snow fell in the third biggest snow in a century. it made for a beautiful scene as far south as georgia. tracie potts, today in the east bay. >> time to check what's coming up on today in the bay. we say good morning to laura. in the newsroom working on more of the stories that matter most to you. >> good morning to everywhere at

home. the controversial so-called death panels that are part of the health care overhaul are back in the news. we will break down why and what the president is doing. the 49ers need a new head coach. we will look at the tenure of mike singletary and who might be his replacement. those stories and more later on today in the bay. >> see you in a few. a way for college students to access financial aid is raising eyebrows. financial one has an arrangement with about 700 colleges to let them draw money from student financial aid. they get a debit mastercard. hire one gets transaction fees and debit card fees from the students. they add up to about $20 to replace a lost card and 50 cents for a pin transaction instead of a swipe and $19 for inactivity

fees. sales of dvds are on the decline, upscale cousins are on the market. blu-ray jumped 75%. it's because the public feels higher quality pictures that blu-ray delivers are worth paying extra for. they say 13% of u.s. households have blu-ray players and that figure is expected to hit 20% by early next year. the critics may not like it, but movie-goers don't care. the christmas weekend box office title blngs to little fockers. >> gobble, gobble, everybody. it's turkey time. >> would do you the honors? >> you are the turkey carver now. >> it brought in $34 million in the debut weekend. jeff bridges scoring a double-digit with his movie that came in second at the box office. true grit, an updated version of the john wayne western opened

with 25.6 million and last week's champ, tron legacy back in third place with a little over $20 million in the second week of release. things not looking better for the raiders while they still have a head coach. they will not take a trip to the playoffs. raiders were out before they got started. yesterday's game against the colts, kansas city won and that meant oakland was eliminated. yesterday's loss was a nail in the coffin. they will close out in kansas city and that will be coming up this sunday. preparations are under way for the rose parade in pasadena. people are working on the floats that will feature displays of organ donors, artistic portraits to encourage people do to donate life. the eagles's da shawn jackson went under cover and it did not

work. he was at a sporting goods store trying to sell his own jersey. he tried to play it cool, refusing to acknowledge who he is, but many people were not fooled. they knew who he was. gift cards were popular this holiday, but even if you are not a fan of the store where it was performed, you can get value out of it. we will see how, coming up. >> love life music? how promoters plan to lure you to concerts. back after the commercial break with more news on today in the bay. stay with us. . >> i'm in korea with seasons greetings to the urban family and relatives in northern california. seasons greetings.

>> a live look at time square, new york. we will have the latest update coming up. employers often look at credit scores to decide whether or not to hire you. now one agency wants to make sure it doesn't play a part as long as you are a certain race. we will explain. >> and did you get a gift card this holiday season to a store you