we'll show you how to get to your party. some ways to get there that don't involve a car. and it's new year's eve, "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. happy new year's eve to you. meteorologist christina loren is here with a look at the new year's outfit accessory you're going to need. >> yes, you're going to need more than a paper hat to cover your head. we're expecting some showers this evening, but just keep that paper hat tucked away and break it out later once you get indoors. 43 degrees in san jose. that's the warmest spot. most areas have clear skies and temps in the 30s. livermore right now 32 degrees. by noon we'll gradually rise up to the low to mid-40s. some upper 40s, gilroy 48 at

noon and 5:00 p.m. when you head home from work and off to your new year's eve festivities, it's still going to be chilly and the showers start. we'll break down your entire new year's eve forecast for you coming up. stay tuned for that. back to you guys. thanks, christina. new this morning a driver is dead after his or her car drifted across a freeway ' embankme embankment. you can take a look at the damage, the car is just destroyed. it happened about 2:00 this morning on northbound 880 near 66th avenue. chp officers say that the driver of the red sedan was ejected when the car crashed into the 66th avenue on-ramp to 880. this morning we talked to chp spokesman trent cross who says drivers should be extra careful this time of year because there are more people on the road. >> our initial investigation leads us to believe that a combination of speed and the driver not wearing a speed belt is the reason why, unfortunately, his family will have to plan a funeral starting

out this new year. and 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. >> chp also told us that speed was a factor, but right now they don't know if alcohol or drugs played a role in that crash. companies across the bay area are pitching in to make sure new year's eve partiers have a safe ride home and don't drive drunk. christie smith is live in san francisco with a rundown of who's offering the free rides and when. good morning, christie. >> reporter: good morning to you. we just moved to treasure island and i've got to show you how beautiful this view is into san francisco this morning. this is going to be one popular spot come midnight with fireworks and parties really all over the bay area. there are plenty of ways to get around and keep you safely out of your car if you plan to drink tonight. now let's start in the south bay. vta is offering free light rail and bus service starting pretty early tonight at 7:00 p.m. that runs all the way until 4:00 a.m.

some cab companies are offering free rides tonight as well this new year's eve. perhaps the easiest way to get into the city from the east bay, bart will extend their service until 3:00 this morning, but it won't be free. they're suggesting that you buy your round trip ticket early. they expect to move thousands of spectators into the city who want to watch that fireworks show and party. some other options for you, muni, all light rail, bus and cable car service is free starting at 8:00 tonight. that runs all the way until 6:00 in the morning. caltrain, free rides after 11:00 p.m. san tran, free rides from 11:00 p.m. all the way until 2:00 in the morning. if you take muni, though, around the embarcaderembarcadero, some be rerouted for a while because of the fireworks show and all the crowds that are expected to be over here. reporting live on treasure island, christie smith, "today in the bay." >> thanks, christie. the new year brings a new state law designed to make it

easier for parents to get health insurance for their children whether they're healthy or not. there is already a federal law that provide health coverage, but some say it's not been enough. marla tellez joins us from our newsroom to explain how this new law will work. >> brent, the federal law you mentioned is part of president obama's health kay overhaul package. it prevents health insurance companies from denying coverage for children who have medical problems. companies have found a loophole around that. some have stopped offering new child only policies out of fear parents would wait until their child got sick before buying coverage. the new state law is equipped with a big consequence. it bars insurers that refuse to sell policies exclusively for children from selling any new policies in the state for five years. 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. now, the child insurance law goes into effect tomorrow.

coming up, i'll tell you some key dates parents need to know in order to sign up their child for coverage. knowing these dates will save you some money too. that's a little later in our show. >> thanks a lot, marla. hayward police hope to get more answers after they interview one of their officers sometime today. police say they went out to investigate an argument between a landlord and a tenant. when they got out to the property, they saw a man with a large hunting knife. police say their officer feared for his life and they shot the man, killing him. neighbors stayed inside as they saw officers swarming around their front yards. >> i feel bad enough, you know. first of all, someone dies next door, you know. the whole family is just a little shaky right now. >> that man described his next door neighbor as a mellow guy who lived in a trailer in the back of his home. the hayward shooting is the fourth in the past four days involving a pay area police officer. wednesday night san leandro police shot and killed a woman who was driving a stolen car. officers say she revved the

engine and tried to put the car into gear and that's what they opened fire. wednesday afternoon san francisco police shot and killed a man with a knife. police say the man was mentally ill and he advanced towards them after they told him to drop his weapon. and on tuesday night san jose police say two home invasion robbery suspects opened fire. they shot one of the men in the leg. another officer was hurt when police say another suspect tried to hit him with a car. a 7-year-old girl is now with child protective services this morning. she's the sole survivor of a raging fire we told you about yesterday that killed her mother, her sister and a family friend. the apartment on 82nd avenue in east oakland was engulfed in flames about 2:00 yesterday morning. a neighbor managed to save the little girl, whose name is allison, but he could not reach the girl's mother, her 3-year-old sister or a man who had been renting a room at that home. the oakland fire department say that an overloaded extension cord likely sparked that fire. pg&e had shut off showpower to

apartment in early december and it appears the mother was using the extension cord to get power from the apartment below her. the former supervisor of the san francisco police crime lab will only face drug possession charges for allegedly skimming cocaine from the evidence room. state prosecutors will not seek different charges defense 60-year-old debra madden. the defendant is at the center of a crime lab investigation triggered by other technicians who suspected evidence tampering. the d.a. had to dismiss hundreds of cases for fear the evidence had been mishandled. california attorney general's office is releasing a statement saying, 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. she will be back in court next mon month. two beaches are still closed due to up safe levels of bacteria found in the water last week. officials found high levels of bacteria in the marina lagoon.

the beaches will be closed until at least monday when scientists will retest the water. the closures only affect going into the water but you can still go visit the beach. the environmental protection agency isn't afraid to mess with texas, but the lone star state is fighting back. texas is asking a federal appeals court to block the epa from taking over the state's authority to regulate industrial greenhouse gas emissions. texas is the only state in the nation to refuse to follow the epa's new emission rules. california's emission rules, by the way, are tougher than the new federal laws. new orleans leaders hope to get rid of the remaining fema trailers that have been set up in the city since hurricane katrina. city leaders want people living in those trailers out by tomorrow or they face possible fines. hundreds of people still live in them. they began using them after hurricanes katrina and rita struck more than five years ago. the trailers were always considered temporary and never meant to be permanent housing. they hope to have most trailers

removed within the fist three months of the new year. the coast guard is scrambling to finish cleanup from the oil spill in time for spring break. they're cleaning up 928 miles of beach along the florida panhandle before college students begin arriving at the end of february. they have about 30 miles left to go. in many places, tar balls and the black sticky patties that once spotted the shore are now gone and the sand is no longer stained brown. however, they say that in some places if you do dig deep enough, you can still smell the crude oil. the smell of rain, i kind of like it but i don't know if people will like it as they're out celebrating, ringing in the new year. >> this is one of those nights when you don't want the weather to impact your wardrobe, but unfortunately it looks like that might be the case. just make sure you have something heavy to put over your stylish outfits tonight. looking pretty good. we do have a pretty strong comfort on the way that's going to kick up breezy to windy

conditions. as we head throughout the afternoon, the big component that we're going to see are rain showers throughout the day today. right now you can see pretty much a clear sky over most of the state. that's going to be the case as we head throughout the first part of the day. clouds increasing. but it's those clear skies that led to very, very cold conditions this morning. 32 grows in livermore, 43 in san jose. 48 degrees in san jose. we're going to warm up into the upper 40s, a couple of 50s will pop up in some cities that tend to get a little warmer but overall it's going to be a rather chilly day and we'll see sunshine for the first part. showers for the second half of the day starting at 4:00 p.m. lasting well into the evening. actually increasing in intensification as we head through tonight so keep that in mind. really want to take it easy on the roadways for more reasons than one tonight. 48 degrees, that's what you can expect as you kick off your new year's day. clearing on sunday. sunday is going to kick off a fair stretch of weather that lasts all the way into next week, so sunny skies back in the

forecast. just one more round of rain to get through. back to you guys. >> thank you very much. google is already helping to ring in the new year. check out the google doodle on their home page today. the letters are also roman numerals for 2011. if you click on it, you'll find tons of websites on the traditions of celebrating the new year. it's 6:11. still ahead, keeping your celebrations safe tonight. we do have some tips from chp. plus another crowning jewel for a silicon valley giant. facebook takes the top spot at more than just the box office. and a live look outside this morning. photographer rob hughes doing this one. look at that, the skyline in san francisco all lit up. very nice look for new year's eve this morning. we will be right back in just a couple of 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. [ male announcer ] how do you say...

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i just had a baby girl so i'm looking to definitely spend more time with the family. >> that's a good one. anything else come across the wire? >> fitness is a real big part of my life too, so i'd like to incorporate more gym time, if possible. >> with the new baby, it might be hard. >> yeah, probably. but i make time for work and time for family, so i mean i can definitely fit fitness in there somewhere. >> wish i could figure out how to do that. some of the new year's resolutions for folks out and about this morning in the bay area. a live look outside, 6:14 at the bay bridge. nice and clear to start the day. still a little chilly out there. not exactly a heat wave the next couple of days but staying steady as we go.

christina will take a look at your new year's forecast in just a few minutes. every year the number of underage drinkers who visit the emergency room increases 250% on new year's day. new federal government study shows nearly 2,000 visits to the e.r. involved underage drinking in 2009. on an average kday there are ony about 550 emergency room visits pie underage drinkers. new year's day appears to have the highest rate when compared to other holidays like memorial day and the fourth of july. bay area police officers will be out cracking down on drunk drivers. they're going to increase patrols, step up checkpoints and looking for drunk drivers but they'll also keep an eye out for speeders anz people not wearing their seat belts, so heads up on that. there were 36 dui deaths last year and more than 1,000 people were arrested for driving under the influence in california. here's a status update for

you, although i don't know how shocking it will be. facebook is ruling the internet. the palo alto-based site was the most visited website of the year, beating out google for the first time. facebook accounts for nearly 9% of all u.s. internet traffic from january to november. google pulled in just over 7% followed by yahoo! mail and youtube. android phone users beware, there's a new computer virus targeting you. it's a trojan horse called gemini. it's designed to take over android-powered phones. security experts say the virus allows a remote server to control the phone. so far gemini has been grafted into apps that are available in third-party marketplaces in china. experts advise sticking with apps from secure and trusted sources to avoid gemini. grab a pen and paper for this next story because we have some important information that you might want to right down. a california company is recalling packaged beef because of a risk of e. coli.

first class foods of hawthorne is recalling more than 34,000 pounds of organic ground beef. you can see the number on the screen there. the packages are labeled with the number est-18895. so far no one has become sick because of the products but if you do have questions about the recall, you can call first class foods. that number is also on your screen. 310-676-2500. mixed news for fish in the delta. state fish and game leaders say delta smelt levels remain low this year. in fact they're hovering at a level some biologists believe is near extinction. but salmon is making a strong comeback. 2010 was the strongest year in a couple of years actually for salmon. the woman used as a model for rosie the riveter has passed away. geraldine doyle died at 86 years old in lansing, michigan. she was just 17 years old when she was hired as a metal presser

at a factory close to her home. her daughter tells "the new york times" a photographer came to the factory and took a picture of doyle with a polka dot bandana in her hair and the rest is history. the government had an artist use that photograph to make posters supporting the war effort. wal-mart is pulling a kids cd off of store shelves because it could contain pro fanlt. a family noticed the cuss words on the kids favorite cd they got for christmas. the cover shows four smiling young kids surrounded by balloons so they assumed it would be a bunch of kids but the voices on the cd were from adults and contained profanity. walmart is pulling it nationwide and you can return it for a refund. this morning the hottest internet searches of the year. here's one. >> we cringed but couldn't get enough of the photos. >> what is she talking about? take a look as you snug nell bed

this morning. bedbugs. the creepy critters were the top search. the top news story was the gulf oil spill and the top tech product, the ipad. as for top trends, a topic normally dominated by pop stars and pinups, the honor goes to a more seasoned beauty. there you see her, 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 in that there was a facebook campaign to get her to host snl. >> she did it and she was funny. aol predicts next year one of the top searches will be the royal wedding. we always like to look back on new year's eve and kind of reflect on the events of the past 12 months, but for reporter rafael sepp, it's time to take a look back, stick your tongue out and make fun. >> reporter: 2010 was supposed to be the year the economy turned around. the market chugged ahead but a drop in jobs had investors bouncing all over the place.

only hints of optimism kept the economy from falling like a house of cards. the winter olympics came to north america and despite early concerns there wasn't enough snow to hold some competitions, organizers used everything at their disposal to make sure all the athletes had their day in the spotlight and the games made a big splash on the world stage. it's often said that people look like their pets, but sometimes the pets act like their owners. for instance these dogs belong to expert wave riders, these to a konga cancer. this dog was owned by a junkyard until it ate a police car. speaking of destruction, true story. the orlando bomb squad blew up a little girl's stuffed pony after it was called in as a suspicious package. one more time? okay. that brings us to a part of the story called too much time on your hands. if your hand washing snakes, you have too much time on your hand. if you leave your house to go watch camels wrestle, you have

too much time on your hands. if you've got an alpaca to surf, you may have water on the brain or too much time on your hands. if you make lame puns about how this guy really digs his music, you may be a features reporter. goooaaaalllll!!! >> reporter: soccer's world cup was held over the summer. occasional rain affected the fields of play, some more than others. in the end, it was spain over the dutch because a clairvoyant octopus said so. the feats of athleticism displayed in 2010 contrasted with an obesity problem that has become epidemic. doctors always say exercise is best, but i'm not sure in this case. so as we ring in the new year with friends and family and snakes, here are some predictions. nasa will launch a new generation of ships powered by mentos and coke. tiger woods will get a new golf swing coach. citizens will find a way to fied

against ballooning credit card interest rates. >> it kind of shows how nutty humans are or can be. >> it does give me a few good ideas for next year, so we'll see. >> that's frightening. let's just ease into the new year right now. a lot of people getting ready to celebrate tonight. >> hopefully those ideas have nothing to do with an alpaca and surfboa surfboard. we're dogoing to see rain showe today. just give yourself a little extra time to get the frost off the windshield. we have very little cloud cover overhead and a frosty start in many cities across the bay area. oakland checking in with 35 degrees. you'll probably find frost on your windshield if you parked outside overnight. as we head into noon, that's when it will start to get pretty breezy around here. breezes are picking up ahead of a front bringing showers our way as of about 5:00 p.m. that's when temperatures will gradually rise up into the upper 40s as well but the showers will start. right around 50 degrees today in san francisco. let's go ahead and take you

through your new year's eve forecast in detail now. at about 9:00 p.m., 46 degrees inland. light scattered showers intensifying as we head into midnight. then by 3:00 a.m., most of our local roadways will be vi slicko take it easy out there. clearing is on the way as you head toward the second half of your weekend and a nice stretch of fair weather monday through thursday. back to you guys. ♪ see that girl >> that's right. dancing queen -- the '80s group abba hints there may be one event to bring them back together. right now a nice look at downtown san jose. a lot of people will come out to celebrate the new year there tonight as well as other places around the bay area. we do have a few ideas that might be family friendly as well. going green is a resolution many people will make this year. here's some easy steps to be a little nicer to the planet. drive less. save energy at home and woturn f

electronicics not in u uectroni. l

good morning, everybody. a live look outside. we're looking across the san mateo bridge. you might see a little bit of fog as you head out there. overall it's clear. as you can tell by the temperatures, it's cold. morgan hill and ukiah both below freezing this morning. we'll check your forecast coming up in just a little bit. it is 6:26 right now. the octomom could avoid being evicted from her home if the mortgage holder cuts a deal with a porn kingpin. the homeowner says he's considering an offer from the co-founder of vivid entertainment to pay the $450,000 that is due. nadya suleman has repeatedly declined offers from the porn company to appear in videos. suleman and her 14 children live in a four-bedroom home in la

habra. there are reports abba might serenade prince william and kate middleton as they walk down the aisle. a reunion may be in connection with a charity event. online book makers say the odds of that abba performing at the royal wedding are 66 to 1. no idea how they came up with that. the time now s6:27. ahead your shot at being a millionaire. plus tomorrow you'll have to dig a little deeper to hop on board a pay area transit service sglchts and the confirmation of a bird flu outbreak. and a live look outside. the golden gate bridge, there's traffic out there, not a lot but for new year's eve a lot of folks are not sleeping in as they have this week getting ready for celebrations for tonight. we'll have a look at the forecast for today, toght d the weekend. re

new this morning, a deadly early morning crash serves as a reminder to be save on the road this new year's eve. i'm marla tellez with that story coming up. and getting ready for another round of jerry. the governor-elect gets set for his next term at the state capitol, "today in the bay." from nbc bay area, reporting what matters to you, this is "today in the bay." good morning, everybody. happy new year. i'm becorent cannon. >> almost, almost, i'm laura garcia-cannon. we start with meteorologist christina loren with a quick look at our hour-by-hour forecast. we're counting it down. >> oh, yeah, we're counting it down and starting out cold this morning. new year's eve morning bringing very cold temperatures and a frosty start to many cities across the bay area. 30 degrees now in napa, 32 in livermore. as we head throughout the afternoon, we will see those winds increasing.

our first shower is coming in right around 5:00 p.m. by midnight you can see there widespread, light scattered rainfall. so i think we'll see that as we head throughout the night tonight and that's going to continue into tomorrow. as we head to the second half are your new year's day, clearing. 6:31 right now. new this morning, a driver is dead after an early morning crash in the east bay. it is unfortunate, very graphic reminder this new year's eve to be safe out there on the roads. marla tellez joins us from the newsroom with a look at the factors that may have led up to the crash. >> reporter: good morning to you. yes, the crash happened in oakland about 2:00 this morning and the pictures that we have showing the aftermath are telling. chp officers say the driver of this red sedan was heading northbound 880 near 66th avenue when his car drifted across the embankment and flipped over onto the 66 avenue on-ramp there. officers tell us the driver was

ejected. and from their initial investigation, they believe speeding was a factor. also it looks like the driver was not wearing a seat belt. now, on this new year's eve the california highway patrol is reminding all of us to be more aware while on the roads tonight and this weekend. >> at all times the highway patrol is always patrolling the streets to make sure people are slowing down on the roadway and especially around this time of holidays, we have more people traveling on the roadway, which increases the chance of people being involved in accidents. so we just always tell the public to slow down, make sure they watch their speeds and have a good cushion around their vehicle. >> reporter: back to the deadly accident, chp officers are not sure if alcohol was a factor. regardless, always a reminder to get a designated driver or take a cab. we do have phone numbers on our website if you'd like to take advantage of some of those transportation options, nbcbayarea.com. >> so, so important to make it home safely.

thank you very much. caltrain is ringing in the new year with higher fares and service changes. starting tomorrow it's going to 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 get 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 2010-2011 fiscal year. adults in california carrying no more than 28.5 grams of pot will now only face an infraction instead of a criminal misdemeanor charge. punishment 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 school, grades k through 12. celebrity shutter bugs will have a tougher time taking pictures of hollywood stars. the anti-paparazzi law will

crack down on photographers who drive recklessly or block sidewalks in order to take pictures or videos of celebrities, and victims will also be able to sue for invasion of privacy and other damages. 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 immigration bill. governor-elect jerry brown will be sworn in on monday but preps for his inauguration are well under way. more than 3,000 people are expected to attend. it's going to be a few blocks from the state capitol in the memorial auditorium where governor schwarzenegger was inaugurated in 2006. monday's celebration will not be as flashy as schwarzenegger's. entertainment will be provided by students from two schools brown helped found. the inauguration gets started at 11:00 in the morning. you can watch it right here on nbc bay area. the celebrations leading up to jean quan's swearing in as

oakland mayor will be anything but ordinary. she plans a two-hour walk from chinatown to the fox theater as part of a personal journey. her grandfather found refuge in oakland's chinatown after san francisco's chinatown burned down following the 1906 quake. quan will hold a lighting of incense honoring her ancestors at 8:30 in the morning and then will walk through landmarks in chinatown and downtown oakland. her inauguration at fox theater is at 11:00 in the morning. new this morning, south korea is confirming its first case of bird flu since 2008. the agriculture ministry says they have found ducks and chicken vary carrying the virus. health officials are in the process of putting those animals in quarantine and disinfecting the farms. so far the virus has not infected any people. this morning two people are dead, 16 others injured after a

series of explosions targeted christians in baghdad. thursday's explosions left slab nell holes in several homes and stunned people who live nearby. al qaeda militants have threatened to step up attacks in recent months. the number of christians living in iraq has declined from 1.5 million to less than 850,000. more repairs to the space shuttle "discovery" are now in order after nasa skufrd more cracks in the fuel tank but that will not affect a launch set for early february. the cargo run to the international space station is going to be one of the last missions before the 30-year-old shuttle program comes to an end. the flight has been on hold since november when a hydrogen fuel tank leaked and that caused the cancellation back then. 6:36 right now. someone might be lucky enough to start the new year as a multimillionaire. no one matched all six numbers in tuesday's multi-state mega millions drawing so the new year's eve jackpot is estimated at $242 million. you're going to need a lot of

luck to win it, though. millions of people in 41 states and washington, d.c., hoping to win. they already rolled it over once. that shows it how crazy your odds are. but tonight's drawing happens at 8:00. >> when you think about all the people that play from 41 states and nobody wins, that kind of gives you a sense of the odds. the time now 6:37. we will tell you about the new fines that anybody hitting the road will want to know about today. plus a history-making win has the cardinal celebrating this morning. and a live look at times square this morning. crews are gearing up for the biggest new year's party in the country. we'll have a live report and look at some of the ways to celebrate a little closer to home as well. >> reporter: and i hope you're ready for a rainy new year's eve and new year's day. the good news is after that, a fair stretch of weather on the way to the bay area. we'll talk all about it in your complete forecast. 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.

good morning to you. another strong cold front will bring more rain to the bay area and the sierra nevada. more snowfall for you as we head throughout probably tonight into

tomorrow, but this morning what we're really dealing with is the cold, cold air still in place over the bay area and temperatures are really struggling to get out of the 30s this morning. livermore now at 32 degrees. a little bit colder this morning in the north bay than it was yesterday morning. napa down to 30. you'll probably hit 29 degrees as your morning low up there. by noon we're going to gradually rise up into the 40s. then by 5:00 p.m. tonight we'll start to see our first showers move mostly into the north bay spreading south as we continue into your new year's eve closer to midnight. 9:00 p.m. right around 46 degrees, so it will be a cooler than average new year's. you'll definitely want to have that jacket handy whenever you're outdoors and something to protect your perfect hair as well. by 3:00 a.m. we'll have slick conditions all over the place so take it easy out there and make sure your cab driver is taking it easy as well. 48 degrees on saturday. clearing and a fair stretch of weather monday through thursday.

back to you guys. uconn's win streak ends at 90, and the streak of a thousand days passes into history. >> yeah, major night for the stanford women's basketball team. they ended uconn's unmatched 90-game winning streak. the cardinal beat the huskies, did it pretty handily too, 71-59 last night in front of the home crowd at the maples pavilion. by the way, the last team to do it, the cardinal again. >> look who was in the crowd. >> condoleezza rice was there. i did not see that before. stanford beat uconn during its last winning streak as well back in 2008 and beat the huskies in the final four semifinals, so congratulations, big win for them. you know, like we say, they not only beat them but handled them pretty well. >> a lot of cardinal color in the newsroom this morning. 6:42 right now. a live look outside this morning. the sun is beginning to come up. it's another cold one across the bay area as we ring out 2010 and get ready to welcome wiack ou20y ack wiou yfor ht forecast in a few.

3, 2, 1, happy new year! >> the australian version. it's 2011 in sydney, australia. what a phenomenal fireworks show that they had greeting the new year. nice way to ring it in. hong kong is about an hour away from their countdown. they're celebrating the coming year as the year of the rabbit. a zoo in south korea held its rabbit race to kind of celebrate and they'll officially ring in the new year when the lunar calendar starts for them coming up in february. and in chinese culture, rabbit symbolized fortune and riches. >> we've got team coverage as

the world welcomes 2011. we'll get a live report from times square where a million people will gather to watch the ball drop. and christie smith is live in the bay area looking at celebrations that are going on today. but first we want to take a look at christina, who has a look at the skies for the last day of 2010 and as we begin to welcome 2011. >> oh, yeah, it will be a cold and wet one and we'll be dodging showers as we head throughout the evening but we'll get a good first part of the day. make sure you bundle up the little ones before you head out the front door. we have 30s all across the region. san jose holding strong at 43 degrees where you have a little pocket of clouds trapping in the daytime heat from yesterday, so san jose getting kind of a break. you'll rise up to 48 degrees by noon. as we head into 5:00 p.m., the evening hours, we're expecting temperatures to gradually start to be in the low to mid-40s and showers will start up in the area as well. keep that in mind.

9:00 p.m. 46 degrees. by midnight showers and 44, so cold and wet as we ring in the new year here in the bay area. try to be indoors probably the best bet for tonight. slick conditions across the entire area. another reason why you want to take it very, very easy out there. here's an extended forecast for you. temperaturewise we'll gradually rise next week. 55 degrees, nice and cool for your tuesday. back to you guys. today is the last day of 2010 and big celebrations are planned all around the bay area but getting home safely and avoiding drunk driving is the top priority for a lot of companies. christie smith is live at treasure island with a look at some of the free transit options that you have. >> reporter: good morning to you. well, come rain or shine, i still think this is going to be the place to be come midnight. parties in the city and across the bay area, of course fireworks along the embarcadero. big crowds expected. the show normally runs about 20

minutes. there are plenty of options to let you ring in the new year safely, of course not drink and drive. bart is running until 3:00 in the morning. it's not free. but caltrain is free after 11:00. muni, san transand vta also free. if you're looking for other options, other things to do in the east bay, you might want to check out the uss hornet's big band event in alameda. begins a little after 7:00 with dance lessons and then the party kicks into high gear after 8:00. tickets run up to $85. if you have little ones with an early bedtime, the space and science center in oakland will have balloon drops starting at 11:00 this morning, then again at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. of course during those times it will be midnight somewhere around the globe. a little bit of something for everyone this new year's. reporting live on treasure island, christie smith, "today in the bay." meantime, volunteers and

workers are busy this morning putting the finishing touches on all the floats in tomorrow's rose parade. it's a race against time for all the float designers because the judging begins a little later on today, so you have to be ready. after the floats are judged, then you begin to head toward the starting line. you get in the lineup and head down the parade route, but it is a slow journey. the floats travel at just 3 miles an hour. you can watch the rose parade starting at 8:00 right here on nbc bay area. we do have kind of a preview look starting at 7:00. so 7:00 or 8:00 tomorrow in the morning, check out the rose parade. >> before new year's day there's a new year's eve celebration. one of the biggest is at times square in new york. wendy gillette is live in new york city with a preview of this year's event. you've got your place all staked out there. >> reporter: i do, laura, but they basically close down times square at 3:00 and do a sweep and make sure everything is secure. then people have to go through

security checkpoints and they have their bags an purses checked. no alcohol allowed to keep the mischief to a minimum. so you see here the security barricades. they are lining up all of the streets and avenues all around times square, the huge perimeter. what happens is when the crowds start arriving, people come into the pen and actually create kind of like a pen, like cattle, and people come in and then once you're in the pen, you can't leave. so going to the bathroom not an option. some people are actually here for up to 12 hours waiting for that ball to drop. and we had a lot of snow, as i'm sure you know, earlier in the week. we had a huge blizzard. >> okay. sorry, wendy, we're going to have to cut it short the. >> somebody is -- >> somebody is already celebrating. but it's true, she was mentioning the snow there but they have seen that clear. >> we do apologize, no way to

predict that, somebody coming down the sidewalk and yelling. if you splurge on a nice baulgt of bubbly this new year's, make sure you know how to pour it. look at that, of course this is when the giants were celebrating with their world series win. i don't think they really planned on drinking it, they were just having a good time. french wine experts say that you should tilt your glass when pouring instead of pouring straight into the middle. they say a tilted glass preserves up to twice as much of the carbon dioxide which helps transfer the taste, aroma and feel of the champagne. they also say to keep the champagne chilled at about 39 degrees because that helps maximize the bubbles and of course, as they say, that helps with the taste and experience. starting tomorrow it's going to be easier for parents to get health insurance for their children regardless of their health. a new state law piggybacks on an existing federal regulation that's part of president obama's health care package. marla tellez joins us with what

parents need to know, including some important dates. >> reporter: good morning, laura. yes, the president's health care bill already includes a provision that prevents health insurance companies from denying coverage to children with medical problems. some major companies have just ignored the law and simply stopped offering new child-only policies out of fear parents would wait until their child got sick before buying coverage. the new state law is equipped with a big consequence. if bars insurers that refuse to sell policies exclusively for children from selling any new policies in the state for five years. 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 parents with a healthy child would be billed. now, some dates parents need to know regarding open enrollments, three periods to choose from. the first starts tomorrow and then lasts 60 days. another is the month of your child's birthday. and lastly, after certain

events, such as the loss of coverage. now, parents do have the option of signing up for coverage year round. however, if it's outside an open enrollment period, they'll be paying higher premiums and those premiums are not capped. as you mentioned, the new law does take effect tomorrow. >> it could help out a lot of folks. thank you very much, marla. california is also officially getting rid of a 60-year-old law that requires the department of mental health to research the causes and cures of homosexuality. that original law was put into effect back in 1950. governor schwarzenegger signed the repeal of the law earlier this year. meantime a law named after a teenager who was raped and kidnapped will allow sentences of life without parole for sexual predators to torture, drug or use weapons against children. chelsea's law is named after chelsea king who was raped and murdered by a convicted child molester in san diego county. it increases penalties for certain child molesters including lifetime parole with

gps tracking devices. the murder of chelsea king and another girl in san diego are also behind three more 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 creates a missing persons locator position. starting tomorrow the price of every traffic ticket in the state is going up. the state is adding $4. the money will pay for emergency air transport services that are at risk because of cuts in medi-cal funding. it's one of many fees targeted at drivers trying to make up for state budget problems. another law lets cities install cameras on street sweepers to catch cars parked illegally. we're watching the skies, a lot of folks are, because they're going out to celebrate today. cold start to the morning once again. >> cold, clear start to the morning. yeah, you'll walk out your front door, probably see a mostly clear sky and think it's going

to rain today? oh, yeah. we've got a really strong cold front that will push through the area as we head through the course of this afternoon into this evening and tonight. our first rain showers starting in the north bay right around 4:00 p.m. but this morning what we're really dealing with is the frost on your wind shield in places like livermore, concord, napa 30 degrees right now. probably will hit 29 in napa before we hit our all-time low for the morning and that is chilly. by noon that's when it's going to start to pick up. the breeze will really pick up as we head through this evening as well ahead of that front. we'll see gusty winds, 46 degrees in oakland. by 5:00 p.m. the winds will start to subside but we will have showers on our hands. light scattered showers continuing throughout the night tonight. a lot of peep 'em headed to downtown san francisco for all the festivities. 9:00 p.m. 46 degrees. by midnight 44 degrees. we will see uniform temperatures because of all the cloud cover and the system moving in. so wherever you're headed, temperatures tonight will be in the 40s and we are expecting on

and off scattered shower, so make sure you prepare for that. don't let it damper your plans or your perfect hair. 48 degrees on saturday. a fair stretch of weather sunday thank you thursday. 54 degrees, warming up a little bit as well on monday. back to you guys. we're getting ready to say goodbye to 2010 but several people are already saying hello to 2011. >> new zealand rang in 2011 at 3:00 this morning, that's our time. they're already in bed after a night of partying. and in australia, check out the fireworks there. they always do a great job in sydney, one of the classic fireworks displays. man, look at that. have you ever seep fireworks like that before? >> i haven't. >> think about it. that is an amazing show right now. >> wouldn't that be cool to be there? put that on your bucket list. >> sensational. one of the top destinations for folks around the world to go enjoy the new year's. >> thanks for joining us this morning. and really thanks for helping our audience grow over the last

year. it's truly a privilege to serve as your morning news family. >> we all look forward to another year of bringing you story that say matter to you, the stories that help make you a little better informed, a little healthier, maybe even a little wealthier. >> have you got the lotto numbers for me? and of course we'll continue to have fun along the way. the "today" show is coming up next. have a safe and fun new year's celebration. we'll see you right back here to start 2011. >> and a local news update in half an hour, so have a great day and a happy new year, everybody. ♪

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