rain overnight has left some nasty conditions on the roadway this morning. i'm christie smith. we'll show you one trouble spot in the east bay coming up. and the photos the government does not want you to eat. we'll have the latest on the salmonella outbreak that has spread to california. it is wednesday, december 29th, "today in the east bay." from nbc bay area, reporting what matters to you, this is "today in the east bay." good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. scott mcgrew is off today. it is now 4:30. we want to start with meteorologist christina loren.

you were right on when it came to the timing of the storm. what can we expect the rest of the day? >> we've got a little more moisture coming your way this morning. good morning to you. it looks like this is what you can expect as we head throughout the morning tuhours. we'll see precipitation coming down mostly in the south bay, but let's go ahead and zoom in and show you where the showers are taking place in the east bay this morning. we just had a little bit of rain come down in places like livermore, right now pushing south towards fremont and san jose. as we head through the next couple of hours, all the showers will start to clear, butur a co blast behind it could drop our temperatures into the 30s overnight. we'll talk about that coming up. back to you. of course this is having an effect on your morning commute. mike has a look at some of the trouble spots. >> stick with me first of all and i'll give you notes about napa, sonoma county. reports of flooding up there, as well as san jose there. on the peninsula we had a mud slide closing devil's slide. that's going on through the morning. in the east bay we have 880, reports of flooding early your

for your fast line coming back marina boulevard. again, the fast lane is typically where we have drainage issues. more delays reported coming through the 92/880 interchange. for the few cars heading through right now because of more flooding and the dumbarton bridge, as you get towards the radio towers, the roadway comes right up with the water and that's where we had reports of flooding the last few hours as well. so as the tide rises, that may become an issue as well. brent, we'll send it back to you. as christine mentioned, a double whammy. a steady rain and gusty winds making roads slick and dangerous for drivers. christie smith is live in orinda with a look at one of those trouble spots. >> reporter: good morning to you. we're just up the hill from that trouble spot because we didn't really think it was safe to set up there, cars still flying by this morning. what happened is that a car slammed right into a light pole on rain-slick highway 24,

knocked that pole right over. this is eastbound 24 just east of camino pablo right by the bart station. a chp cruiser sitting by waiting for a tow truck to come get it off the side of the freeway this morning. they tell me that this wreck was actually called in last night at about 11:15 and there was not one, but two cars involved. but emergency crews were so busy in the downpour last night they could only get one car off of 24 at the time. fortunately, though, they're telling me no one was hurt in this and that 24 was not blocked by that pole going down. certainly a reminder, though, of the conditions that are still out there this morning. that's the latest from here. reporting live in orinda, christie smith, "today in the east bay." california is the latest state to be affected by an outbreak of salmonella tied to tainted alfalfa sprouts. there are 94 cases in 16 states.

more than half are in illinois and there have been no deaths. now, people are advised not to east alfalfa sprouts made by the tiny greens organic farm in urbana, illinois. it also in spicy sprouts. oakland police are investigating a bold armed robbery that happened at a busy walgree walgreens. a masked gunman went in, pointed a gun at the cashier and demanded money. they do have pretty good surveillance video of him. medical marijuana users have a new outlet to get their supply in an east bay business park. the hercules chiropractor's office is functioning as a medical marijuana dispensary. the hercules health center is on north shore business park. its website describes it as a state-of-the-art healing center and medical cannabis collective. they offer express checkout service for medical marijuana patients who call in their orders. uc berkeley's 20 student-run

cooperative houses are making it easier for students to report drug abuse among their peers. the cooperative adopted new rules to review whether a person living in one of though homes has a drug or alcohol problem. the plan is meant to give students clear tool for helping their friends. the changes follow the overdose of a uc berkeley junior at the co-op back in march. you soon will not need to carry one or two-cent postage stamps. beginning next month the first new first class stamps will be marked as forever stamps. that will help people with the transition to the higher rates. the postal service plans to announce the new policy january 14th. the first first class stamp under the new policy will be a lunar new year stamp. outgoing assemblyman tom torlakson will be sworn in as the schools chief next monday. the public is invited to attend

that inauguration at mt. diablo high school where he taught before entering politics. later there will be an open house at the california department of education in sacramento. if you want to attend either event, you have to rsvp by e-mailing tom at tom torlakso torlakson.com. you no longer need paper tickets on ac transit buses as of friday. ac transit is asking riders to use all of their unused tickets by the end of the week. remaining value of paper tickets can also be applied to buying new clipper smart cards. those cards are reloadable and are good on several bay area transit systems, including bart. transit agencies across the bay area are offering free rides on new year's so that people don't drink and drive. they will be available on all muni trains and buses between 8:00 in the evening on new year's eve and 6:00 in the morning on new year's day. caltran will have free rides after 11:00 friday night and

four extra southbound trains will be added after midnight. the last one will leave san francisco's 4th and king street station at 2:15 in the morning. good idea to keep in mind when you're out and about. if you're out and about this morning, watch out, we've got it all, maybe some flooded roads, some mud slides. >> we have flooding in many spots throughout the bay area, although that is starting to clear up and flooding reports are being updade. let me take you out to the roadways again. in addition to the roadway and the water and the issues for slick roadway conditions, northbound 680 approaching stoneridge drive, there's a truck and trailer. the rig itself detached from the trailer. the trailer is still in the middle lane here on northbound 680 as you're approaching stone ridge, so we expect to see some slowing. plan on a slow approach before you get to the dublin interchange. heading towards 680, reports of sunol road near niles canyon

road, a tree down in that area. that's pretty typical for that portion of 84 as we have heavier rains. the sensors are showing a tremendous slowdown but right here we can barely see any cars, so the sensors need some sorting out. that's why you have me, to help sort out the data. right now a smooth drive through sunol but the conditions are slick. we also want to get one more check of christina on this forecast because this rain is moving out but are we in the clear? >> we are not yet in the clear but will be later on today. probably 10:00 a.m. we'll see the showers subside. take a look at all the moisture that passed through our area headed to southern california. treacherous driving conditions today so really take it easy if you have to get down there. if you can, you probably want to postpone your travel plans. we might even see snow over the grapevine later this morning. let's talk about what we're expecting in terms of showers for us today. if you're waking up in the east bay. it looks like livermore just got a little precipitation.

that will continue to head off to the east. the next couple of hours all of this moisture will continue to push off to the southeast and then temperatures are going to drop. take a look at what we're expecting for this morning. by about i'd say noon at that just a few light scattered showers pushing from the north bay over to the east bay. then by 5:00 p.m. tonight cold air pushes in. we'll let you know just how low those temperatures will plummet as we head into tomorrow coming up. back to you, brent. good news and a little recognition for the raiders. three players will head to hawaii to play in the pro bow bowl. they include nnamdi asomugha and shane lechler and richard seymour. congratulations and good luck to them. huge milestone for cal coach mike montgomery. last night's victory over hartford marked his 600th win.

the golden bears swept hartford 74-56. the win came 32 years after he directed montana to a victory over wisconsin in the 1978-79 season. montgomery is just the seventh coach to post 600 division i victories. an oakland teen who is using his new lease on life to pay it forward will finally get to meet the family of the boy who helped save his life. he will travel to southern california to meet the family of the donor, his name was johnny hernandez. hernandez died and that's the reason that mike received a liver transplant that eventually saved his life a couple of years ago. >> i'm going to give his mom a real big hug and tell her that i love her for giving me life and donating his organs. >> for the past two years mikey and his mother spent their free

time feeding the homeless in west oakland. mikey calls it paying it forward. he is also to appear on the 2011 donate life rose day float. if you see him, you will know his story. coming up, if you are what you eat, then there is no wonder kids are flunking out of school these days. we investigate what's really going on in california cafeteria food and why it's causing kids to fail when it comes to grades and their weight. plus, snow, ice and bitter cold temperatures all across the northeast. see how people are recovering from that holiday blizzard. word is leaking out about the next ipad and there might not just be one version. we'll talk about that. the time now is 4:41. we'll be right back. you're watching "today in the east bay" with scott mcgrew, weather with christina loren, traffic with mike in.

welcome back, everybody. 4:44 right now. a live look outside looking back at the city of oakland and lots of lights there. the camera shaking a little bit. we might still see some wind moving through as this storm that we had overnight moves out of the bay area this morning. lots of rain out there. we'll be talking about your forecast all morning long. there's something of a food fight at local schools. one in three kids is either overweight or obese in america and experts say their diets are

usually high in sodium, fat and sugar. activists say a lot of junk food comes from schools. vicky nguyen takes us inside a local company that's revamping school snacks and lunches and raising test scores at the same time. >> no transfats, no corn syrup. >> reporter: it's a long list of nos at revolution foods in oakland but an even longer list of yeses. >> we do lasagna, tacos and burritos. >> reporter: an expansive menu for 20,000 students with a special focus on providing healthy food for kids who receive free or reduced price lunches. >> my vision would be that every kid that goes into the lunchroom is excited to go in there, excited about the meal they're about to eat and feels good after they eat it. >> reporter: chef amy kline is testing a new recipe.

she expects kids to eat this. >> the salads are pretty good, like the chef salad, caesar salad. >> reporter: sixth graders at edison charter academy. >> in a way, you have to make the food fun. >> reporter: after the school switched from a traditional food service to revolution foods, teachers insisted they saw a difference. >> the kids had more energy, their grades were going up, they were more focused in class after lunchtime. >> reporter: over a three-year period students testcores shot up 17%. the school lunch reimbursement rate is just under $3 and that includes the cost of labor and transportation to get the food here to the cafeteria. school sources tell us that's a dirty secret. schools can spend as little as $1 on frozen, processed meals. they say the food savings are then used somewhere else in the

budget, even though that's not how the system should work. but at this school the investment is paying off, ak l academically and physically. >> i noticed when i ate the food here, my body changed. i've gotten lighter and taller. >> reporter: kristin richmond says the company has weathered a few food flops. >> we tried serving a wrap in our first year of business, and we got the feedback why are you serving me this cold tortilla. >> reporter: but naysayers who predicted students wouldn't eat fresh fruits and veggies are eating their words. it doesn't cost schools more to choose these meals. meals that are transforming the way kids eat, learn and grow. vicky nguyen, today in the east bay. food experts say parents should ask what schools are spending per student meal and what they're serving. if they don't like what they

hear, they should lobby school leaders for different changes and choices. oracle will get an interest payment from sap. a judge's ruling will force europe's top software maker to pay a $1.3 billion copyright infringement verdict but the judge did not specify how much interest sap will have to pay but it could be more than $16 million. for more on the news before today's bell, we want to check in with courtney reagan live at cnbc world headquarters. courtney? >> reporter: hi, good morning, brent. futures are slightly higher as wall street continues its year melt-up. the s&p 500 is up 6% for the month of december. it's typically a good month for stocks. a poor turnout for an auction of five-year treasury bonds. copper prices hit a record high while oil and other commodities are making fresh two-year marks.

asia is higher overnight. traders well focus some attention on this afternoon's auction, seven-year notes. the dow was up 7 tuesday, the nasdaq slipped 4 to 2662. if your travel plans were stru disrupted by the snowstorm this weekend, if you traveled anywhere by flight, you probably were. airlines are raising ticket prices. several have confirmed they're hiking fares on many domestic routes by $10 one way and $20 round trip. united, continental and delta are raising prices effective immediately. farecompare.com says american is too. southwest has yet to follow along raising the possibility that the fare hike could fail. in the meantime, i also want to get an update on your morning commute. i guess the word of the day is flooding. >> yeah, or at least the word of the morning is. hopefully that will clear up. we had reports davis and marina

boulevard heading from oakland down in through san leandro down into hayward, we had flooding reported. also around 880 and the 92 interchange where we have a lot of construction as well but no mud slippage here. that's way over 92 all the way on the coast, half moon bay and pacifica. devil's slide is between the two. that's where a mud slide has been reported. so from the east bay we view the san mateo bridge and the camera shakes like crazy. high wind advisories still in effect for the san mateo bridge and the bay bridge, but chp says the dumbarton bridge and the benicia bridges are not that bad. high winds could be an issue for folks all around the way. >> we've seen a couple of cameras blowing this morning. christine has the latest conditions for us. >> yes, good morning to you. wind are still pretty strong, especially through the mountain passes. if you're heading over the pacheco pass take it easy and especially if you're headed to southern california via the 5. we have a lot of precipitation coming down. this is the case for southern

california throughout the day. for us, especially here in the east bay, we are already starting to dry out this morning. the national weather service actually cancelled their wind advisory, which is a sign that things are improving out there. here's where the showers are currently moving. might find slick conditions up in livermore. showers will continue to move off to the south as we head throughout the morning hours. by 8:00 a.m., a nice break from the rain. residual showers will come down by about noon and then 5:00 p.m., the cold air arrives, dropping our temperatures into the 30s overnight. looking towards the upper 40s for thursday into friday. it's going to be a cold new year's around here, so just keep that in mind. back to you, brent. >> stay close to your loved one, then. snow and ice, bitter cold temperatures all across the country this morning. again, severe weather has caused major problems and delays over the past couple of days. about two and a half days, as a matter of fact. and as "today in the east bay's" kurt gregory tells us, northeastern communities are

still recovering from that holiday blizzard. >> reporter: the big dig continues in new york city after a snowstorm for the ages. frustrations now building. >> disgusted. i'm ralliy totally disgusted. >> reporter: while residents dig out, some travelers stranded at new york's three airports are starting to get out. though progress has been slow. >> they can't get us out until friday. >> reporter: safety officials in maine believe that winds gusting at 40 miles per hour were the primary cause of a ski lift accident in which five chairs fell some 25 feet, injuring at least seven people. >> at one point i was scared the whole chair lif was going to fall. >> reporter: but in connecticut the weekend's dark clouds had a silver lining for skiers and resort operators. >> those conditions are really perfect. >> reporter: while residents of philadelphia continue to battle snow, the nfl's eagles battled minnesota in a game that kicked off 48 hours late. a decision that's been controversial. >> i thought they should have postponed it. i plow snow so i was out there,

and this isn't the place to be. >> reporter: if mother nature's frigid grip is being felt as far south as florida, where farmers ooesed over their crops for a third time this month, trying to save the citrus. a strong storm is making dangerous driving conditions in the sierra this morning. check this out. this is some of what it looked like in placer county last night. of course that storm leaving here and going there. several drivers slid into ditches because of the icy conditions there. so far there are no reports of serious injuries, but officials are warning drivers to be extra careful out there. meantime, the first snow survey of the season is in and the numbers are being described as phenomenal. state water watchers say water levels in the northern sierra are well above 100% of normal. and in the southern sierra, check this out, the water content is a remarkable 267% of

normal. all of that, of course, is great news for the state after three dry years. of course we hope that it continues a little bit throughout the rest of the winter. techies are abuzz with news that apple's second generation ipad could be available in three separate versions. according to the "l.a. times" each version with offer a different internet connection option including wi-fi and three wireless standards. meantime a report out speculates that apple's next tablet may go into production as early as next month. two big retailers are getting into video downloads. sears and k-mart are starting alpha line entertainment in collaboration with sonic solutions. that service will offer downloads to customers that will allow them to purchase or rent movies and tv shows. some of the downloads will be available on the same day that they're released on dvd or blu-ray. new movies will be sold for

$19.95. they can be rented for $3.99. tv shows are available for $1.99. there's no word on when the service might begin. now for a look at what's coming up later today, we'll check in with laura in the newsroom. >> good morning, brent. good morning, everyone. thanks for joining us. we have some developing news that we're covering out of the south bay this morning. police are looking for a man responsible for a home invasion and assault on an officer. marla tellez will bring you a live report. students in 31 bay area schools will get money from microsoft. we'll tell you who's getting the money and why. plus we're coming to the end of the decade, but what should we all it? the os, the otts? it's our question of the day. veteran rocker bon jovi didn't get into the rock and roll hall of fame but the group can still draw a crowd wherever they go. ♪ the rock band was popular since

the 1980s when it was a top concert attraction in the world in 2010. the group sold $201 million worth of tickets in the united states and overseas. they played 80 shows, more than number two ac-dc and number three, u2. coming up, the unbelievable find in the trunk of a car in the south bay. what police believe three people were planning to do with a hog-tied live goat. plus how safe are you at the airport? we'll hear from the san francisco international pilot who posted youtube videos reportedly revealing flaws in ait laurase laura will be right back after the commercial break.

i was told that i was at risk for sudden cardiac death. i was 23 years old, i wasn't overweight. i never dreamed this would happen to me. when the doctor told me i had three blocked arteries, i felt like i was punched in the gut. i found out that one in three women die from heart disease.

how did i not know that? new this morning, a home robbery turns into a shootout with police in san jose. i'm marla tellez. i'll tell you who's now in the hospital, plus have the latest on this investigation coming up in a live report. plus, true to his word, the niners already on the lookout for a new general manager and interviewing candidates. the latest on the hunt is coming up. ♪ find out which song is the billboard's best of 2010. from nbc bay area, reporting what matters to you, this is "today in the bay." good morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. bren