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. brent will join me at 5:30. they're already reveling in sydney, australia, this morning, but for them it's midnight. it's already 2011. we're going to help you celebrate the new year, bringing you live pictures from there. look at the fireworks going off there, simply beautiful. they already celebrated in new zealand as well. look, somewhere to celebrate. quickly coming up on our own time to celebrate in about 18 1/2, 19 hours or so. meteorologist christina loren joins me right now. a lot of people will be out and about. should they bring an umbrella in the bay area? >> oh, they certainly should, which could really put a damper on your wardrobe for tonight but, hey, you don't want to get damp so make sure you protect

yourself. 38 degrees. you're waking up in sunnyvale with frost on your windshield. same goes for gilroy. many areas will see that frost with temperatures in the 30s. your hour-by-hour forecast shows you by 6:00 p.m. showers approach the bay area lasting all the way throughout the night and clearing finally for the second half of tomorrow. we'll let you know how much rain we're expecting in your full forecast. right now, though, back to you, laura. >> thank you very much. well, starting tomorrow it will be easier for parents to get health insurance for their children and save money at the same time. the new state law piggybacks on an existing regulation that's part of president obama's health care overhaul package. marla tellez joins us from our newsroom with what parents need to know. >> reporter: good morning, laura. yes, the president's health care bill already includes a provision that prevents health insurers from denying children coverage who have medical problems. now, this new state law goes a couple of states further. it bars insurers that refuse to sell policies exclusively for children from selling any new policies in the state for five

years. now here's why this law is needed. some of the largest companies stopped offering new child-only policies out of concern parents would wait until their child got sick to buy coverage. so now if they do that, they face that five-year penalty. the new law also limits the amount a company can charge to cover children with serious health issues to no more than twice the premium a parent with a healthy child would be billed. now, the law does provide for several open enrollment periods. the first starts tomorrow and lasts 60 days. another is the month of your child's birthday. the third option, after certain events, such as the loss of coverage. now, parents can sign up their kids for coverage year-round. however, if it's outside those open enrollment periods, parents can expect to pay higher premiums and those premiums are not capped. now, the child insurance law goes into effect tomorrow. back to you in the studio. >> a lot of people paying attention to that one. thank you very much.

california is officially getting rid of a 60-year-old law that requires the department of mental health to research causes and cures of homosexuality. the original law was put into effect in 1950. governor schwarzenegger signed the repeal of the law earlier this year. a law named after a teenager who was raped and kidnapped will allow sentences of life without parole for sexual predators who torture, drug or use weapons wednesday children. chelsea's law is named after chelsea king. the law increases penalties for certain child molesters including lifetime parole with gps tracking devices. the murder of chelsea king and the murder of another girl in san diego are behind three more additional laws designed to speed up searches for missing people. the laws require uniform guidelines on how police respond and quicker reports to the state department and department of justice. it also includes a missing persons locator position. adults in california

carrying no more than 28 1/2 grams of pot will now only face an infraction instead of criminal misdemeanor charges. the punishment for the infraction will be no more than $100. another new law prevents medical marijuana dispensaries from setting up shop within 600 feet of a public or private k through 12 school. celebrity shutter bugs will have a tough time snapping pictures of hollywood stars. anti-paparazzi law will crack down on photographers who drive recklessly or block sidewalks in order to take pictures or videos of celebrities. victims will be able to sue for invasion of privacy and other damages. new year's eve into new year's day is also a dangerous time on the roads. that's why police forces will be out at more than full staff. trent cross of the chp joins us this morning to talk about the maximum enforcement period. good morning, trent. really gearing up, i would imagine, for today. do you have more staff on call?

>> yes, good morning. we will have all available officers working throughout this weekend starting at 6:00 p.m. tonight because we know that this is the time of year in which there's 18 crease in drinking and driving and people celebrati celebrating. so we really want to encourage people to plan ahead, be responsible. we don't keep it a secret. we're out looking for people who drive under the influence, those speeding and those who choose not to wear their seat belts because those are areas where many lives are lost on a day-to-day basis so there will be a strong presence for chp. >> what about people that you see a potential drunk driver on the road. what do you do? how quickly can officers respond? >> if you see someone who's driving in a reckless or dangerous manner, we encourage you to please call 911 and be prepared to provide us with a vehicle description and a location and we can get officers out there within minutes. as a matter of fact, we've received a lot of assistance from the public in the sense

that people are actually making those calls, because i believe that people are tired of seeing other people being irresponsible and hurting and killing other people because of their lack of planning or drinking and driving. so we strongly encourage that and we support that. >> as we talk to you, trent, we're taking a look at tremendous video of a faltal accident that shows a car completely flipped over and crashed. i know you've been at the scene i'm sure of some horrible, horrible accidents. it's hard to look at but it is a good reminder for people just to not risk it, don't drink and drive. there are a lot of different options out there if people have had a little too much to drink. >> yeah, there are so many options in the sense that you can rent a cab or taxi, spend the night at a friend's house or plan ahead and have your designated driver appointed because a first time dui will run you $10,000 in fees and

fines. but the big picture is whenever you drink and drive there's a strong possibility you can end up killing yourself or killing someone else. this morning we had a crash in which there was a young 25-year-old adult. according to witnesses he was traveling at approximately 90 miles an hour northbound 880 near 66 when he lost control of his vehicle. it overturned a couple of times and he was ejected from the vehicle. and so our initial investigation leads us to believe that a combination of speed and the driver not wearing a seat belt is the reason why, unfortunately, his family will have to plan a funeral starting out this new year. so we just want to encourage everyone to please be responsible, take your time getting to where you have to go so you don't have to plan any funerals starting out the new year. >> yeah, exactly. trent cross, be safe yourself and have a wonderful new year. thank you for joining us. >> you do the same. >> all right, sounds good. starting tomorrow the price of every traffic ticket in the state is actually going up. the state is adding $4 to the

price of every ticket. the money will pay for emergency air transport services that are at risk because of cuts in medi-cal funding. another law that takes effect tomorrow lets cities install cameras on street sweepers to catch cars that are parked illegally. well, the stanford women cardinal making national headlines this morning. they're the villains, but who cares. lawrence scott explains. >> reporter: a very good morning to you. uconn's streak is over. never again may a team get up to 90 straight wins. but stanford ending the lady huskies streak here last night at maples pavilion. let's show you how it happened. as we go inside, you've got to see stanford jumping on uconn from the word" go." the cardinal led the entire game. uconn couldn't get any footing. stanford was tough and played

inspired against an excellent huskies team. the last time uconn lost was to stanford, the final four in '08. now it is bookends, 71-59. the mark for consecutive wins is now set at 90. here's some of what was said afterwards. >> i think everybody did a great job. we had a lot of help. >> there's a sense of disappointment that we didn't play well. but if you look beyond that, there's been other times during this whole time where we didn't play well. it's just that we haven't faced anybody as good as stanford played tonight. >> reporter: all right. stanford doing what many thought was possible, because uconn's streak would eventually come to an end. yes, uconn head coach geno auriemma being very gracious and complimentary of stanford. next up for the cardinal, a game

at cal. they're playing the golden bears on january 2nd. that is a look at sports, have yourself a great morning. >> same to you, lawrence. to help you have a great morning, how do you dress? probably bundle up. we want to check in with christina loren. it's cold out there again. >> yeah, you know what, that's a good question because i know a lot of ladies out there have been planning that new year's eve wardrobe quite some time. just make sure you have a nice heavy jacket to put over it before you head out and probably something to cover your head as well because we're expecting some showers later on. already temperatures in the 30s. give yourself extra time to get frost off your windshield. we have very little cloud cover overhead right now. all the daytime heat has escaped out into the atmosphere and so it's a chilly morning. this is the system that will bring us showers. as we head through 4:00 p.m. we'll see our first showers in the north bay. after that this is your new year's eve forecast. 9:00 p.m., 46 degrees. yeah, showers coming down right at midnight. by 3:00 a.m., 41 degrees. a cool, cool drive home and a

slick drive home. just make sure you take it easy. we don't want anybody to get hurt out there tonight. >> it's 5:10 right now. as we find down the year, we take a look back. we're going to check out the most popular health news and entertainment stories of 2010. and -- >> make them chuck it from the cheap seats. >> we're going to take a moment to remember the people we lost in the past year. "today in the bay" will be back in about three minutes. reporting what matters to you, you're watching "today in the bay" with laura garcia-cannon, brent cannon, weather with christina loren, and traffic with mike inouye. join the jaguar platinum celebration ! come celebrate exciting cars that are stunning to look at,

exhilarating to drive and worry free to own. celebrate this holiday season with the gift of platinum. jaguar platinum coverage: five years or 50,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance, and no cost replacement of wear and tear items. visit your bay area jaguar dealer during the platinum celebration for a $599 lease offer on the 2011 xf.

it's not too well done? nope. but it is a job well done. what are you reading, sweetie? her diary. when you're done, i'd love some feedback. sure. your mom and i read that thing cover-to-cover. loved it. thanks. would you mind if i cut the lawn this weekend? only if you let me talk to your mother on the phone for hours on end. done. [ male announcer ] u-verse brings peace to the family. at&t u-verse lets you record four shows at once from any room and play them back on any tv. now get up to $300 back in promotion cards. at&t. rethink possible.

welcome back, everyone. 5:14 right now. the crime lab scandal that rocked the sfpd will only result in drug possession charges for the woman at the center of it all. 60-year-old debra madden will bow back in court next month. prosecutors will not seek additional charges against her. she is at the center of that investigation triggered by another technician who suspected evidence tampering. the d.a. had to dismiss hundreds of cases as a result.

the california attorney general's office says, quote, debra madden is currently being prosecuted by the san mateo county district attorney for possession of cocaine, a felony. after exhaustive evaluation, we have determined that no additional charges will be filed. baseball's boss, a scorned but resilient woman and a few others whose lives impacted the rest of us are among the people who passed in 2010. chris clackum takes a look back. >> reporter: elizabeth edwards' life was punk waited by a series of tragic struggles but faced with a virtue that daughter cate summed up at her funeral. >> she was way more worried about us than we were about her. >> reporter: george steinbrenner worried a lot about winning. his style only bolstered her persona as baseball's boss. born on the fourth of july, 1930, steinbrenner would die in july, 80 years later. >> i'm constantly wanting them to make the effort to do the very best they can do. >> reporter: winning off court

was just as important to john wooden, arguably the greatest coach in college basketball history, whose style was one of calm and encouragement. >> peace of mind, which can be attained only through self satisfaction in knowing that you've done your best. >> reporter: the best from the devastatingly handsome tony curtis, included his oscar nominated performance in "some like it hot." >> and i loved every precious minute of it. >> reporter: precious minutes for robert byrd alluded to the minutes serving as senator. lena horne was also 92 when death silenced one of the silkiest voices of the century, which she also lent to the civil rights movement. another booming voice from that movement, dr. benjamin hooks who died in april, took up the cause

in the army during world war ii when the italian prisoners of war he guarded were allowed to restaurants but not him. >> make him chuck it from the cheap seats. >> reporter: dennis hopper was wildly successful in his five-decade acting career before dying in may. >> i don't want to hear anything you have to say. >> reporter: so was john forsyth, whose most memorable role might be the one where he was never seen on camera. a few who helped run the country also passed in 2010, like nixon confidant alexander haig and career diplomat richard holbrook. we lost a famous tv mom, barbara billingsley and tv dad, tom bosley. >> you know whenever you do something exciting on television, you become famous all over the country. >> reporter: swells tv kid, gary coleman. plus another two big names in baseball, sparky anderson and bob feller. and we close noting the death of

author j.d. salinger, whose "catcher in the rye" still sells a quarter million copies a year, 60 years after he wrote it. chris clackum, nbc news. as we continue to wrap up 2010, we're taking a look at the best of the year. this morning the hottest internet searches of the year. here's one. >> we cringed but we couldn't get enough of the photos. >> what's she talking about? bedbugs, the creepy critters were the top health story searched in 2010. the top news story was the gulf oil spill and the top tech product, hmm, is it a surprise, it was the ipad. was for top trends, a topic normally dominated by pinups, the honor goes to a more seasoned beauty, 88-year-old betty white. >> you know betty white was fast out of the box this year with a super bowl commercial and then the internet is actually the back story that made her a top search to trend this year and there was a facebook campaign to get her to host snl.

>> and she was on it and she was funny. aol predicts next year one of the top searches will be the royal wedding. we'll see. 5:18 right now. i want to check in with christina loren for a look at our forecast today. a lot of people paying attention to this one as they probably sleep in this morning. >> yeah. if you're bundled up in bed this morning you definitely have the right idea. if you have to head off to work, we're in the boat with you this morning. temperatures in the 30s across the area. the warmest areas are san francisco checking in with 40 degrees. you've got a pocket of clouds hanging out over san jose that's keeping you a little warmer at 43. as soon as you lose those clouds expect to be in the 30s and we have a lot of frost out there. give yourself extra time to get that frost off the windshield. here's what we're expecting as we head throughout the day today. you can see the jetstream here dipping to the south. well, that is going to usher in some wet weather as we head through the second half of your day. showers starting up at 4:00 p.m. as you toss your hat in the air and ring in the new year at

midnight, we're expecting widespread, light scattered showers. you really want to take it easy out there on the roadways in addition to what we can expect in terms of roadway conditions on new year's eve. you also have wet conditions. so the two coupled can be very dangerous. as you can see here, though, as we head through about noon tomorrow, most of the activity will start to subside, really deteriorating before we hit 4:00 p.m. let's take a look at your extended outlook. a fair stretch of weather on the way. sunday through thursday, maybe all the way through next weekend. that's what you can look forward to. you just have to get through one more holiday, a rainy one. back to you guys. >> good to know. thank you. new year, new job, but not without a new resume. think it doesn't make a difference? well, think again. we have a few simple tricks that might make a difference between a dream job and a dead job. learn how to remake yourself when you remake your resume.

good morning to you. a live look outside this morning. look at the temperatures. palo alto, i don't know if they're looking at the numbers there, but maybe more so. the stanford ladies winning numbers, 71-59 over number one ranked uconn. quite a game, quite an upset. go cardinal. many hope a new year will mean a new job. whether you're one of the millions of californians out of work or just looking for

something better than you have it all starts with a resume. as garvin thomas shows us, starting your resume is just the beginning. >> reporter: if there's one thing sherri calco has learned this year it's that a good resume is never really finished. it should always be changing. in fact calco says although she's been looking for work for more than five months, only this last month did her resume really take shape and her job search take off. >> i have gotten phone interviews. i now have a couple of face-to-face interviews set up. so i'm thinking, well, maybe some of my changes did help. >> reporter: what did sherri do? well, some of the very things every job seeker should do. >> if you really want to stand out, you want to point to things that are specific to you as a professional that no one else has. >> reporter: the folks at linked in recently mined the profiles of their 85 million users to find the most overused phrases, the ones you will want to get rid of.

topping the list, "extensive experience." >> if i'm a sales professional and i'm looking for new clients, i want those clients to know that i've got eight to ten years of experience, not extensive experience. extensive could mean a year, it could mean two years, it could mean three years. being more specific is really important. >> i see thousands of resumes. i think the most common mistake is people think it's a biography. >> reporter: megan is a director of skill services. >> if it's not something you've done in the past 15 years, someone is probably not going to hire you to do that today. >> reporter: the smartest job seekers create a new resume for each job opening, going so far as to take key words out of the actual job description and working them into their resume. it is a lot of work, so you need to be choosy about where you apply. >> and really putting a lot of effort into each application. it should be taking you probably an hour to put together a tailored resume and a tailored cover letter for each position. >> reporter: another great tip for those who have their resumes

posted on job search sites is to update it. even if it's only a small change, at least once a week. that's because when recruiters search those sites, the newest resumes matching the qualifications they're looking for are the first ones they see. >> if you haven't updated or refreshed your resume on the job boards in months, i'm not going to find it. i'll have my candidate before i get there. >> reporter: the foot in the door is the resume. but if you do it right, what you learn from creating the resume is going to help you once you get in that door. >> i think all of these tips helps one recognize one's own skills, one's own value basically, even as a human being. >> reporter: garvin thomas, "today in the bay." 5:26 right now. we're going to tell you how you can ring in the new year a millionaire, coming up. plus how you can use your car as a money maker when you're not using it to get where you need to go. and we're helping you get ready for the new year. whether you're headed to sf or

somewhere else in the bay area, we have what you need to know before you head out the door. [ male announcer ] how do you say... welcome to the neighborhood. ♪ [ male announcer ] how do you say... can you believe it's been 20 years since college? ♪ [ male announcer ] nothing says "you're special" like boursin,

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new this morning, a new year, new laws. we take a look at one that could mean big fines for parents if their kids play hooky. we're already ringing in the new year. it's 2011 in new zealand. we'll tell you what you need to know before your new year's celebration. and a live look outside as we get ready for new year's eve

day. 5:29. a look at the bay bridge on "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, reporting what matters to you, this is "today in the bay." good friday morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm brent cannon. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. we want to get straight to christina loren with a look at the forecast for today. another cold start. >> oh, yes, another cold start. if you're headed out any time soon, i'd say any time between 10:00 a.m. you'll probably find frost on your windshield. take a look at your temperatures in the 30s. hour-by-hour forecast shows you we are still going to have some 30s in the north bay at 9:00 a.m. by about noon that's when most of the temperatures across the bay area will be in the 40s. we'll only max out in the upper 40s when you head out for work, temperatures will be still on the chilly side. we'll take you through your hour-by-hour forecast tonight. a lot of people headed out and

about. we'll let you know what the weather has in store for you coming up. this morning hayward police say they're looking deeper into the circumstances leading up to a deadly officer-involved shooting. officers say they shot and killed a man in his 50s armed with a large hunting knife outside a man's home on depot road. neighbors tell nbc bay area the man's name was randy lirizano. police came out when they saw him holding the knife. they did not see him arguing with anyone when they arrived. the officer who shot him is now on paid leave. the shooting in hayward is the fourth in the past four days involving a bay area police officer. on wednesday night a san leandro police officer shot and killed a woman who was driving a stolen car. officers say she revved the engine and tried to put the car in gear. that's when they opened fire. on wednesday afternoon, police in san francisco shot and killed a man with a knife. the police chief says officers acted lawfully. the man was apparently mentally

ill and officers say he advanced towards them after they told him to drop his weapon. on tuesday night, san jose police shot a man in the leg. officers were on their way to a home invasion robbery when they spotted two of the suspects on the street. when they tried to stop the men, one of them started firing. officers fired back and hit one of the men in the leg. the city of hercules is sorting out a development debacle. the developer of the planned new town center is accused of ripping the city off. city leaders say that tom weigle, president of the red barn company out of newport beach has been earning $20,000 per month as a consultant to the city. travel and other expenses add up to an additional $10,000 or more. the project's $12 million budget is almost used up, but there's no construction to show for it except for a temporary food court. hotel stays in new york and las vegas as well as car rentals and electronic equipment purchases have all been billed to the

city. red barn's attorney has agreed to an audit of the expenses. with new year's eve on a friday night, it's expected to be a big night to party. about a quarter of a million people are expected to show up at the embarcadero for the fireworks display at midnight. it's supposed to be a fun family event so police will be out in force making sure things stay safe. if officers see containers of alcohol or fireworks, they will take them away. they'll also be enforcing a zero tolerance policy regarding public drinking and other criminal activity. the bay area is getting ready for the new year and that includes providing a safe ride home to avoid drunk driving tonight. from free transit to free cab rides, bay area companies are all pitching in trying to help keep our roads safe. christie smith has a look at what some of your options are. >> reporter: good morning. it's hard to believe 2011 is just hours away. i'm sure by now you've got your party plans in place. the good news is that most bay area transit agencies are offering either extended service or free service to help you get

home. some cab companies are also offering free rides in case you've had a few too many. bart is probably the easiest way to get into the city from the east bay. they're not offering free rides but trains will roll all the way until 3:00 in the morning. for peninsula-bound riders you want to get in on montgomery after you see the fireworks along the embarcadero. vta will offer a free right rail and bus service in the south bay from 7:00 p.m. all the way until 4:00 in the morning. some other options for you, muni, rail, bus and cable car free from 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. caltrain, rides are free after 11:00 all the way until after 2:00 this morning. and san trans free also from 11:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. if you do ride muni, though, some lines will be rerouted along the embarcadero because of the fireworks show. reporting near the bay bridge toll plaza, christie smith, "today in the bay."

remember there are other options. if you do drive your car on new year's eve, aaa will offer its annual tipsy toe service from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on new year's day. you can get a free tow. just call the number on your screen, 800-aaa-help. just tell the operator that you seed a tipsy tow. they only tow your car up to ten miles so don't call if you're further than that. people visiting sausalito this new year's eve can get a free ride home as well courtesy of the "we'll drive you home" program. you get a lift from any location within the city limits of sausalito. all you have to do is call the number you see there on the screen as well. police on the peninsula are cracking down on a dangerous and sometimes deadly new year's tradition. redwood city police are launching operating silent night to crack down on people who shoot off guns in the air on midnight. officers will be using its shot spotter system which pin points exact location of shots fired in

the city. officers say shooting a gun recklessly is a felony and carries up to a three-year prison sentence. target tomorrow people who impersonate you online will be breaking a law. >> a state law goes into effect that makes it illegal to assume another person's identity online that can cause harm to that person. creating online accounts to harm, intimidate or defraud a person will now be a misdemeanor. violators can face a $1,000 fine and a year in jail. parents will face jail time and fines if schools think you're pulling kids out of class without a valid excuse or if they just skip class and you don't know it. under the state's new truancy law parents of k through 8 students who miss more than 10% of the school year without a good cause face up to a year in jail an $2,000 fine. amber alerts will be used for more than finding missing kids in the new year. the alert system will also be used when a suspect is on the loose after attacking a law

enforcement officer. the so-called blue alerts will be used when an officer is killed or seriously injured. vehicle and suspect descriptions will appear on those freeway signs as well as tv and radio broadcasts. bakers are going to have to stop using transfat oils in 2011. restaurants and cafeterias, fast foot vendors have had at least a year to switch to the alternative oils. california is the first state in the nation to ban the so-called artery-clogging oils. well, the new law will let you lease out your car when you're not using it. that means you'll be able to avoid buying additional insurance. coming up in less than 10 minutes, marla tellez will tell us about a law that's foeg to make every parent happy and could help save them some cash in the long run as well. somebody might be lucky enough to start the new year as a multimillionaire. nobody matched all six numbers in tuesday's multistate mega

millions drawing so now the new year's eve jackpot is an estimated can say 242 million dollars. millions of people in 41 states and washington, d.c., play ho hopeing to win. as we know from last time, despite all those people nobody got the winning number. tonight's drawing starts at 8:00. a retired east bay firefighter found another way to become a millionaire this week. he hit the jackpot at a lake county casino and walked away with $8.4 million. darrell valentine playing a mega bucks slot machine. it is a statewide jackpot and does have a multimillion dollar jackpot once or twice a year. >> and he hit it. >> i wonder if they give you a big cardboard one. >> i don't know. i guess you can dream, christina. >> yeah, try shoving that thing into the atm. good morning to you. we're looking good so far. take a look at this amazing live shot as the city sleeps. you can bet as we head through

midnight tonight the city will be alive. new year's eve is going to bring some showers our way. we're starting out very cold this morning. as you can see, we have no clouds, very little cloud cover overhead, and that's making for a very chilly morning with some frost out there. 32 degrees in livermore right now. 38 degrees in oakland. looking towards 31 in santa rosa. and we're going to drop off in temperature a little bit more before we hit our lows at 7:00 a.m. by 10:00 a.m. we'll finally be above the frost level. then as we head through noon, temperatures will gradually climb into the upper 40s. here's what you can expect as we head through this evening as you make your way out and about. showers starting up right around 5:00 p.m. temperatures still in the chilly side. here it is, your new year's eve forecast. by 9:00 p.m. scattered showers continue, intensifying as we hit midnight. by 3:00 a.m., 41 degrees. as you make your way home, it will be slick, so just be really cautious out there. back to you guys. >> thank you very much. the time now 5:39. arizona enacts a controversial

new law to start the new year, and we'll tell you about that coming up next. a lot of bowl games on tv this weekend. you may catch a bay area boy in some of the ads. we'll tell you about the important cause he's trying to get the word out about. plus as you get ready to celebrate 2011, we take a look at the proper way to pour your champagne. >> maybe the proper way to drink it too? not out of the bottle. it's 5:40 right now. a live look outside. clear start to the day, clear and cold. bundle up as you head out the door. reporting what matters to you, you're watching "today in the bay" with laura garcia-cannon, brent cannon, weather with christina loren, and traffic with mike inouye. join the jaguar platinum celebration !

come celebrate exciting cars that are stunning to look at, exhilarating to drive and worry free to own. celebrate this holiday season with the gift of platinum. jaguar platinum coverage: five years or 50,000 miles of complimentary scheduled maintenance, and no cost replacement of wear and tear items. visit your bay area jaguar dealer during the platinum celebration for a $599 lease offer on the 2011 xf.

good morning to you. taking a live look outside. look at beautiful san francisco this morning, all decorated

already, lit up for the night, new year's eve. expected highs and lows across the bay area today, we are going to get some rain showers. we'll check in with christina loren in just a bit. cities all around the world have begun to ring in the new year already. one of the biggest celebrations in america of course is at times square in new york. wendy gillette is live in new york city right now. she has a preview of this year's event and some of the planning that's already under way. wendy? >> reporter: yeah, brent, very exciting to be here. it's still pretty quiet here in times square but within the next couple of hours, people from all over the world and i'm sure from your area too will be showing up here on the streets and ushering in 2011. now, you can see right here some of the security barricades. they're set up all along the times square perimeter on avenues and all the different streets. what happens with these is people actually get put in pens as the crowd starts showing up, which happens in the early afternoon. once people are in, you can't

leave unless you don't want to come back because once you leave, you lose your spot. so you are maybe going to stand there for 12 hours or so waiting for the ball to drop. and take a look over here. this is some of the snow that's still left in the city. a huge blizzard that hit new york earlier this week really paralyzed new york. they had a lot of difficulties with snow removal. the city's mayor came under a lot of criticism for the snow removal here. and you can see the evidence of it. this area is a priority, but there is still snow and ice here. it's really kind of a packed mix of snow and ice. we've seen ice -- snow removal trucks coming by and trucks with sand and salt on them, but not so far in this area so we'll have to see what happens. but remember with a million people coming into this people, that's a lot of trampling down on the snow and ice and a lot of body heat too. back to you. >> lots of folks will be enjoying it. it's good to at least see the pavement after all the snow they

got. thanks a lot, wendy. >> a lot of people lining up soon. good morning to you, it is 5:44 right now. tomorrow we want to tell you about a state law that will go into effect that goes above and beyond federal law when is comes to getting medical insurance for kids with pre-existing conditions. marla tellez is live in our newsroom with a look at how the state is cracking down on california insurers. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, laura. yes, president obama's health care overhaul includes a provision that prevents health insurers from denying children coverage who have medical coverage. the new state law provides more safeguards to that. it bars insurers who refuse to sell policies exclusively for children from selling any new policies in the state for five years. here's why the law is needed. some of the largest companies stopped offering new child-only policies out of concern parents would wait until their child got sick to buy coverage. now the consequence if they do that, that five-year penalty.

the new law also limits the amount the company can charge to cover children with serious health issues to no more than twice the premium a parent with a healthy child would be billed. the first open enrollment starts tomorrow and lasts 60 days. the other is the month of your child's birthday. lastly, after certain events such as the loss of coverage. parents do have the option of signing up for coverage year-round but if it's outside an open enrollment period, they'll be paying higher premiums. the new law takes effect tomorrow, january 1st. now, "today in the bay" weather. 5:46 now. it's cold outside. make sure you grab a jacket on your way out and then rain showers are going to push in courtesy of a front that's on the way bringing rain for probably a 24-hour period starting at about 5:00 p.m. this

evening, lasting thank you 5:00 p.m. new year's day. so frosty start for the most part all across the bay area. you'll probably have to give yourself a little extra time to get the frost off the windshield. 31 in fairfield, 31 for santa rosa and san mateo checking in with 38 degrees right now. let's take a look at your hour-by-hour rainfall forecast. 5:00 p.m. is when showers start to arrive. at midnight not just confetti coming down from the sky. nothing too heavy. you don't see any yellows are oranges embedded in that green. we'll probably see half as much moisture as came through earlier this week. 5:00 p.m. things get a little better and sunday we'll see just a few residual showers. here is your extended outlook. a cool new year's eve followed by a cool new year's day. clearing late sunday. sun and clouds, a fair stretch of weather monday through friday of next week. back to you guys. the former oakland as

manager who gained notoriety for helping bring baseball into the current age is dead. he helped usher in the computer age in the game with his use of electronic data. he managed the as in 1983 through '84 and led oakland to a 74-88 record, good enough for fourth place in the american league west, but then he was fired partway into the following year after the as got off to a slow start at 20-24. he was 74. starting tomorrow arizona's ban on ethnic studies will go into effect. the law prevents schools from teaching classes specifically designed for a particular ethnic group. the governor signed the bill into law shortly after signing the controversial immigration bill. after pulling back from the brink of bankruptcy, ford is now facing a recall. the car company says it is recalling about 20,000 new vehicles because of an electrical short that could cause a fire. ford says the recall affects f

series pickups and small suvs, including the edge and lincoln mkx. the company plans to notify affected owners by january tte10th. ford is not aware of any injuries, crashes or fires resulting from the issue. a bay area boy will be featured during several bowl games. >> duchenne. most of us have never heard of this word. for others it has turned their lives upside down sfwh a picture of alex maddux will be part of this public service announcement featuring green bay packers linebacker clay matthews. alec has the most common childhood muscle disease, duchesne musk clnne muscular dy. the commercial will run during the rose, fiesta, sugar and orange bowls. a giant rock is blocking a main roadway into the park. state officials closed highway 140 after a dump truck-sized

rock tumbled into the road. the rock fell about a half mile east of yosemite view lodge just inside the park's boundary. no damage was reported. the highway will be closed at least part of today while road crews assess the area and remove debris. the new year is also a new round of negotiations between muni managers and operators. 2 special closed door meetings are now set for january 11th and 25th. muni's existing contract with the union expires june 30th. now, a measure passed in november gives muni managers more leverage to negotiate hourly wages and benefits. before that operators were guaranteed automatic wage increases. 5:50 right now. caltrain is ringing in the new year with higher fares and service changes. starting tomorrow it will cost an additional 25 cents per zone to ride caltrain that. means a one-way ticket from san francisco to san jose will go from $7.75 to $8.50. caltrain will also be getting rid of two northbound trains and two southbound trains from its midday schedule.

the measures are intended to close the transit agency's $2.3 million budget gap for the 2010 through 2011 fiscal year. oprah winfrey already owns daytime television but now she's going to expand her broadcast empire with her own network. the oprah winfrey network will make its official debut on cable tomorrow morning. it starts at 9:00 for people who have directv. her network will replace the discovery health channel. winfrey and the discovery network say their biggest challenge now is going to be helping people find the network. if you don't know where it is, you can't find the channel, go to oprah.com and they have a channel locator tool for you. with their playoff hopes dashed, the niners are hoping a new year means a new lease. san francisco starts 2011 at home against the cardinals. this game is really just about bragging rights. the loser ends up at the bottom of the nfc west. of course as a consolation prize

they could get a better draft pick. the raiders trying to finish out on a high note. they are in kansas city playing the afc-leading chiefs. win or lose, they will not make the playoffs. the real news for the raiders will happen next month. that's when al davis decides if he's keeping tom cable as head coach or hunting for a new leader. sunday's game is at 10:00 a.m. 5:52 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm brent cannon. you probably noticed a change in our studio. this is actually our temporary home while our new state-of-the-art set is being assembled a few feet away. this is a live look just down the hall from us as they begin to pan across there. you see some of the setup and construction. every day we take a peek and every day there's a little more done. we hope to be in that new studio hopefully within a couple of weeks. it's pretty cool. >> it's amazing to see how quickly they can put it all together. volunteers and workers are busy this morning putting the finishing touches on all of the floats for tomorrow's rose

parade. >> it's a race against time for float designers because judging begins later today. after they're judged, the floats head towards the starting line. once they're on the parade route, it will actually be a slow journey. the floats only travel about 3 miles an hour. it gives you a chance to look at them. the handlers of the world famous budweiser clydesdale are busy today. they are making sure the horses look their best but look at what the guy is doing. >> vacuuming him? >> it's too cold to use soap and water so, yes, they're vacuuming them. it looks good. ten clydesdales actually travel to all of the events but they only use eight at a time and two horses can have a day off and be in reserve. >> you can watch the tournament of roses parade starting tomorrow at 8:00 tomorrow night right here on nbc bay area. you can also tune in a little early starting at 7:00 a.m. for an early look at some of the preparations. a lot of work goes into it. the time now 5:53.

we want to check the forecast with christina not only here but across the state. southern california has gotten hit as hard or more than we have with rain. hopefully it's nice and clear for the parade. >> yes. i think they're going to actually see a little rain activity. it might rain on their parade a little bit but we'll see the bulk of the moisture from a pacific storm that's right now pushing into the area. it could bring an inch of rain in the areas that tend to get the most rain so we're not expecting as much moisture as the system that came through earlier this week, but cold air is behind it and we're also going to see gusty winds kick up ahead of the front as it pushes onshore. right now, though, we have clear skies. that leads to very cold conditions. temperatures in the 30s. widespread frost now setting in. the outlying areas, livermore 32 degrees, 36 in gilroy. just give yourself extra time to get the frost off your windshield in the east bay as well. as we head through 10:00 a.m. we'll see temperatures rise above that frost level. at noon, right around 44 degrees in san jose.

5:00 p.m. the showers start up. bring an umbrella and something to cover your head with and we'll have your extended forecast coming right up. back to you guys. >> thank you. when it comes to splurging with a nice bottle of bubbly for new year's eve, be sure you know how to pour it. >> according to experts, this, although it looks fun, is not the right way to do it. a new study finds that pouring down the side of an angled glass gives you the best taste and fizz, although we're not sure what we're looking for at this moment. >> so to repeat what laura said, french wine experts say tilt your glass instead of pouring it straight down the middle. >> there's an app for that. >> apparently they have an app for it. oh, look at that, i'm more fascinated with the app. researchers say if utility the glass, it preserves up to twice as much of the carbon dioxide. those bubbles help transfer the

taste and aroma of champagne. keep it chilled to 39 degrees and that helps maximize the bubbles. of course if you have champagne taste on a beer budget, here's an app for that. this is an iphone app from ikea that actually lets you pick a glass and fill it with little fake bubbly. then you find a friend that has the same app and you'll be able to eventually clink glasses. but it's not just a toast, it's a way to exchange names and profile pictures. plus cameras capture the moment which is then posted on facebook. that's a complicated a.m. for that. >> i guess you don't have to worry about the bubbles giving you a headache. the traditional times square ball drop is not the only one. >> snooki, from the hit tv show "jersey shore" will bow placed inside a paul and dropped at midnight from seaside heights, new jersey. the jersey shore cast will lead fans in a collective 50 pump in

hopes of setting a world record. mtv will broadcast that live event starting at 10:30 tonight. >> man, fun times. well, it's not an easy start to the new year for some bay area beaches. we'll tell you why you want to stay out of the water this weekend. plus it's not prom or spring break just yet. the surprising new research showing that there's one day underage drinkers spike. and you helped make it happen. we're going to a look at some of the most searched items of the year.

new this morning, a stark reminder of how dangerous it can be out on the road. the overnight accident that sent a car careening into an ' embankment in the east bay. in just a few hours a new state law takes effect to keep kids healthy and parents happy. >> reporter: good morning, i'm christie smith. thew