here's a live look at the bay bridge this morning. this is "today in the east bay."

good morning, everyone. i'm scott mcgrew. it is 4:30. we'll go right to the forecast and christina loren. a little frost on my morning windshield this morning, christina. make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get the frost off your wind shield if you parked outside. if you have a carport you should be okay. that's a good insulation process keeping your car under a carport, but 38 degrees in concord right now. 37 degrees in livermore. and 38 in fairfield. definitely cold enough for the frost. if you are headed to the north bay from the east bay this morning, watch out for some of the freezing fog. yes, it is very cold out there. we do have fog. so it is a very dangerous situation. dangerous combination. let's find out if we have problems on the roadways just yet with mike inouye. good morning, mike. good morning, christina. so far no problems there. there we go on the map to show you the wider view of the approach to the bay bridge. this whole map we expect to see lighter today. we'll zoom in to a blip we see

down the east shore freeway. it is eastbound. so counter commute. this accident that is around the area is an at the on-ramp. there's a crew on the scene, i'll let you know if it affects your drive. get on at university or powell to be clear of this accident. thank you much. the city of santa clara city council will huddle to keep plans for the new football stadium on track. marla tellez is live with more on the forward progress. marla? >> reporter: good morning, scott. behind me here, not a whole lot to show you this morning, but it is just an empty lot for now. one day this could be the new home to the san francisco 49ers and their football stadium as some of you know we are neat great america parkway. across the street is where the san francisco 49ers practice. it does make sense to put the stadium here. here's the issue. at the beginning of the year

governor jerry brown proposed doing away with redevelopment agencies statewide. if that happens the santa clara city council would lose the redevelopment money needed to build the new stadium. that's up to $40 million. this money was approved by voters back the june. so at tomorrow night's city council meeting members plan to memorialize official language into the stadium deal, essentially letting governor brown -- they were depending on this money since he took office. they are saying, please, let us keep this money. if the governor does not listen to their plea and wipes out the funds, finding this money would be next to impossible since the measure of voters approved prohibits the city from dipping into city funds to pay for the project. they would have to get it from the team or other investors. they will send it to governor jerry brown at tomorrow night's city council meeting planned for

7:00 in the city council chambers. marla tellest tellez for "today in the bay." two teenagers are being mourned after a weekend venture turned deadly. they went rafting in a rain swollen drainage canal in the east bay. the raft was found at the spillway of the canal near the intersections of treat and bancraft. >> reporter: the creek is behind me and the fence is up because it is not meant to be open to the public, but around 2:00 p.m. on saturday the boys went into the waters below and by sunday afternoon their bodies were discovered. just a few hours after learning their son matthew miller drowned after going drafting in a rain drain creek his parents were devastated. too upset to talk on camera they say it was a horrific accident.

friend aden harick says his two best friends decided to embark on a two-person inflatable raft. the teens had helmets but no life preservers. they were supposed to meet a friend a few hours downstream but never arrived. >> the recent rains mixed with the river or not the river, the creek swelled and becomes fast moving. what was more dangerous was the debris in the water. the branches, rocks, you can think of any other kind of debris in there. >> reporter: with the helicopter hovering above the creek, divers combed the water and around 80 volunteers searched the area. by sunday afternoon the boys' bodies were found in the creek about an hour apart in concord. >> and i heard the hovering of the helicopter overhead. and it to myself, i said to my husband, someone is in the canal. >> reporter: with water levels reaching depths of 15 feet in

places, this neighbor says it is not the first time tragedy has struck here. just last year a father and son died in the canal after losing control of their car. only the mother survived. >> i will never forget this. i saw her head floating -- she was upright, she was floating down, came down, we were all screaming and yelling. >> reporter: now two more families have lost their loved ones. >> they are nice, they are smart, they are intelligent. they got good grades and wanted to go to college. they had high expectancies of themselves. and they were both really motivated. >> reporter: they were very well liked here in the community. we spoke to their friends here in town, everyone is devastated by the news. they also left flowers here in their memory. the two were juniors at a local high school. in walnut creek, alice kershner, "today in the east bay."

in santa monica last night dozens of people gathered for a vigil for the couple. jean and scott adam are members of this search, so ma'amli pirates hijacked them on friday. they are experienced sailors and have been sailing around the world for years distributing bibles. district leaders and teachers failed to meet eye to eye on a new contract. teachers have not had a pay increase in three years and want a raise to cover rising insurance costs. but the district is proposing a pay cut because of the huge loss of funding over the past three years. the districts a wants more power to evaluate and layoff teachers. ac transit drivers say they are often confronted with angry riders, some threatening. earlier this month someone on the street shot out the back

window of a bus on grove avenue in north richmond. the union representing ac transit drivers and mechanics now plan to push for better is off safety standards. as you can see the police follows the buses. they do plan to put more cameras in buses that drive through high-crime areas. meanwhile, an east bay refinery getting ready to restart its engines. valero refinery will begin to test equipment this week. officials say the public shouldn't worry if you hear hissing sounds from flames shooting out of the stacks, that's normal. they also plan to install special equipment to reduce emissions. the refinery has been out of production since last december while undergoing repairs. let's check in with christina who has a cold forecast ahead. >> yeah, a lot of moisture leftover from the system that brought us all the rainfall over the weekend. we had kind of a break on sunday, but we have a lot of

moisture leftover. as a result, very cold conditions, 36 degrees. that's what we are expecting in the east bay to fall to around 7:00 a.m. just before sunrise that's the coldest time of the day. that happens at 7:15 this time of the year. it will get even colder before we hit the lows this morning. keep that in mind. take it easy out there. if you are headed up to the north bay, it is cold enough and enough remnant moisture is up there for some freezing fog. that's fog that freezes on contact with your windshield. at noon about 50 degrees in the east bay. 3:00 p.m. heading home it should be nice and mild. we are looking to partly cloudy skies. very, very low rain chances today. they are at 10%. i don't think we'll see much in terms of rainfall until thursday. we'll talk more about that when we get to the extended forecast. right now we'll get you to work on time. if you have to go to work this early, i tip my hat to you. good morning, mike inouye, how does it look out there? thank you, christina. i tip my hat to you with all the rain and freezing fog you were

watching. here off antioch it is a smooth drive for highway 4. 68 is on the right. we are expecting to see slowdowns at 5:30 to 6:00. closer to 6:00 because of the lighter volume of traffic. pittsburgh and bay point, that's the end of the line for the pittsburgh bay point line. we'll show you the b.a.r.t. system. they are on the saturday schedule because of the presidents' day holiday. services don't start until 6:00. you have to find alternate forms of transportation. ac transit is also on the holiday schedule. through livermore ace has a normal schedule. no delays there. no delays for 580 moving all the way over to castro valley. near belvedere we have an accident. here's a live look at 880 past the coliseum. there's a shoot drive with very light volume. prince is performing there tonight, so there will be traffic and rocking and rolling there inside. back to you, scott. we could be nearing a

government shutdown. how soon federal offices could close if lawmakers don't agree on the budget plan. plus, protests continue to grow in libya as the country's president makes an overnight statement about the future of his office. and a free pass for education. tips on how to nab student aid.

it is 4:44. you are looking at live pictures of oakland. it will be a light traffic day, it is presidents' day. a lot of kids are out of school as well. skiers and snowboarders expected to pack the slopes in tahoe. gorgeous day there at lake tahoe yesterday. there's still plenty of powder after the storms. it was a slow start to the traditionally busy presidents' day weekend. the storm kept people home on saturday, but by sunday it was busy. it will be busy today as well. meanwhile, if you are thinking ahead to spring break travel plans. brace yourself for sticker shock. here's nbc's chris clackum. >> reporter: the traditional

spots for spring breakers aren't changing this year but there could be more of both driving up the cost and staying there. >> you should expect there to be more crowds and the prices will be higher. >> reporter: hotel rooms and plane tickets are up this year from last year's, but that won't make much difference. >> 29% of travelers want to hit the beach. they are looking for the warm beach destination followed by 25% of those interested in taking a cruise. >> reporter: orlando is the number one spring break destination in an orbitz survey. and travel experts say all of florida should be busy. >> florida is particularly strong for people in the northeast, in the midwest, and as you would expect in the southern part of the country. >> reporter: spring break isn't just for the college crowd anymore. although older adults are often looking elsewhere. >> when you look at people who are 35 and over, less than 10%

of them say they are specifically picking a destination that attracts the spring break crowd. >> reporter: after a winter of widespread discontent, some are getting a jump on spring break starting this coming weekend. chris clackum, nbc news. the a's say hideki matsui won't take the field today. he has a history of knee issues. his dad was on hand in phoenix yesterday predicting at least 30 home runs and a .300 average for his sun this season. the warriors are back home today when they return with a man getting a huge welcome back. guard stephen curry made his team proud dribbling and passing and shooting through an obstacle course coming in with the winning time. he got the bragging rights and helped a girl from the l.a. area win $30,000 in scholarships courtesy the boys and girls club

of california. she can thank him profusely. christina loren looks at the forecast for us this morning. >> good morning to you, scott. if you were able to get to the slopes yesterday i bet it was picture perfect. we have more snow on the way this week, and we are talking about snow levels coming down to 1,000 feet, even below 1,000 feet in pockets as we head to the end of this weekend. we are looking towards another round of showers thursday, friday into saturday. that's what we are looking for. but as we head through today, i think we'll stay mostly dry, maybe a few showers to the north. and in the north bay you have a very slight chance of seeing some rain, but i think for the most part all the action will stay north of clear lake. 36 degrees in novato. 44 in san francisco. if you are headed towards the coast from the peninsula it is still going to be chilly. you probably have some frost on your windshield this morning as well. give yourself extra time to get that off. we do have quite a bit of moisture leftover from this system that passed through. this is our next guide that will make its way down to the bay area as we head thwart the

latter portion of your thursday and friday. 54 in fremont. 53 in concord. 52 in fairfield. heading throughout the rest of the week, temperatures are going to be chilly as we head through tomorrow with another cold start. then those snow levels fall as we head toward the end of this week. that will be the next big weather story. but you want to protect those sensitive plants and pets this morning. you probably want to bring those in. i like to protect my sensitive plants. how about you, mike inouye? most definitely. my family had a nursery business, every house plant i managed to kill, so you can protect them by taking them to your house. here we have a surface street accident, the foothill is cleared at belvedere. it is right near the water where alameda and oakland are joined by the bridges and the ferry. we'll zoom out to remind people there's no ferry service because of the presidents' day holiday. other ferry services are running on a holiday schedule. here near the east shore freeway or onto the east shore freeway,

ashby avenue we have an accident still there. use university or powell to the north or south of the area. the toll plaza itself is looking really light. we have a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza, there you go, hardly any cars on the approach. we expect to see a much lighter volume of traffic because the schools are out this week. if you are out on the streets, be careful, there are kids playing outside. the u.s. government could face a budget showdown for the first time in 15 years, kristen dahlgren is in washington with more. >> reporter: in washington the debate over what to cut has the stakes growing higher. >> we have said shutdown is off the table. speaker boehner, mitch mcconnell, other republican leaders have not taken it off the table when asked. and there are lots of people on the hard right clambering for a shutdown. >> look, we are not looking for a government shutdown, but at the same time we are also not looking at rubber-stamping the high elevated spending levels that congress blew through the joint two years ago. >> the amendment is adopted.

>> reporter: on saturday the republican-controlled house passed $61 billion in cuts. the senate democrats say that leaves too many americans paying the price. now the showdown could lead to a shutdown for the first time since 1996, a four-week closure. >> it would be destabilizing at a time when everybody is hopeful we can start growing this economy quicker. >> reporter: president obama urged congress to compromise and find slimmer spending cuts. but house speaker john boehner has vowed there will be no temporary funding without serious slashing. and with the debt at record levels republicans think this time the public is behind them. with the clock ticking and either side ready to blink, we could soon find out. if there were a government shutdown, the military would stay active, government checks would still be issued but new applicants to social security could see delays. kristen dahlgren, nbc news, washington. also new this morning, anti-government protests continue in libya's capital

tripoli. new video was posted overnight showing the first pictures of anti-government protesting there. demonstrators have taken over the city's green square. now protesters could be heard chanting as you hear here, they walked past some sort of burning object. nbc news cannot independently verify the authenticity of this amateur video. as i said, it was posted to youtube and with do not have reporters on the ground there. it is impossible to get in. anti-government unrest continues to spread across the country. over the past six days some 200 people have reportedly been killed in the unrest. meanwhile, in yemen, the country's president today rejected demands that he step down. he says widespread demonstrations against his regime are unacceptable acts of provocation. but he did agree to certain reforms and renewed talks with

protesters. demonstrators want the president's 32-year rule to end. this morning rising floodwaters have forced about 300 people in northern australia to evacuate. a river in the region peaked early in the day, flooded homes in the small town south of darwin. flood levels not expected to recede for at least four days. people in makeshift shelters there. locals say crocodiles swimming if floodwaters snatched several animals in the area. laura garcia-cannon, i have two bits of bad news in australia. number one, it is flooding. number two, there are crocodiles. >> no kidding, i would never leave the house. scott, you have heard of the man cave, now one designer wants to bring about the mom cave. designer tanya tomlin says it is about a personal sanctuary for mom. we'll show you what one mom cave has and what it doesn't have. and do you have an ex's stuff still laying around? do you have a gift you would rather smash than regift?

our bob redell wants to dispose of your unwanted stuff. wait until you hear what he has in mind. we'll see you in a few minutes. >> then i would be willing to be late for work if i get to see that. many are getting access to job applications. the employment opportunity commission began hearings last summer that some help wanted ads stated only people with current jobs need apply. now, it is not technically illegal for companies to with hold applications from the unemployed. civil right law does ban actions that would keep a group of applicants who are disadvantaged in the eeoc's lack wanlg because of race, gender or age. here are some ways to help you find your college student free financial aid. according to smartmoney.com do apply early. in the past june was the deadline. no more. look at college grants instead of state aid. they may not have state aid in

shaky economic times. and search scholarships from large corporations and organizations, maybe even your own. if you own a dog you know they get scared and overly excited. a company has a way to ease a dog's anxiety i think substantiately. it is called a thunder shirt. like a body suit for a dog. is one of the dogs wearing it? there we go, there's a thunder shirt. the velcro straps help the shirt adjust so it fits snugly without being too restrictive. experts say the pressure helps release a calming hormone, which is comforting to living beings. >> i think it has some validity. dogs like compression, but i don't think it is going to cure a dog fearful of the world. or a dog with real fear or anxiety issues. >> every dog is different. on these two the thunder shirt worked just as it said it would. claiming to solve some of the fear of fireworks, thunder, separation anxiety, the problem barking and even leash pulling.

meanwhile, the east bay spca will offer free spaying and neutering for pitbull mixes as well as cats. the spca is partnering with bishop ranch veterinarian center as part of the ongoing pet fix program. pets will also receive free vaccines and collars. these are the quietest dogs in the world. there are not only 100 surgeries available, they are available by appointment between the hours of 7:00 and 5:00. they say a fixed dog is much less aggressive. they will offer free spays or neuters for cats of low-income residents in an effort to reduce the overpopulation of cats. a former internet video star back in the spotlight. bella, dublin's resident golden eagle, is delaying construction on the east side of town until her little ones fly the coup. the development put on hold 44 single-family homes and a major roadway. they must wait until biologists expect her babies to leave the

nest. bella has called dublin home since 1989. coming up, the surfing happening at mavericks. we'll tell you where the waves are measuring up. brent and laura are right back. hearone woman every minute. we can chae the statistic by choosing to speak up for our hearts. take control of your heart health and encourage others to do the same. take the go red heart check up. find out your ten year risk for heart disease or stroke learn how to make small simple changes to reduce your risk and change your life. speak up to save lives. log on to goredforwomen.org find out how you can prevent heart disease.

new this morning, parents taking the bath for school funding into their own hands. we'll tell you what you can do to join in. and the governor could intercept plans to build a new 59ers stadium. i'm marla tellez. we'll tell you how the santa clara city council is hoping to make them think otherwise coming up. a family's nightmare comes true as their loved ones have been captured by somali pirates. that story is coming up. meantime, a beautiful live look outside waiting for the sun to come up over san francisco and the entire bay area on this monday, february 21st. today is presidents' day. this is "today in the bay." good morning to you. thank you so much for joining