to come down. so it looks like that will be the case. we'll continue to show you where the snow is. take a look at that. i saw a little pink here, that's the north bay hills just to the east of santa rosa. it is coming down out there really heavily in the south bay. we'll find out how your drive is looking with all the moisture, what's happening out there? well, it looks like wine country is now snow country coming on the weekend. we'll talk about the east bay hills, 680 through danville, san ramon and concord, that's where you are seeing a lot of the activity on your radar as well. we are seeing activity at west 24 and gallanos. there was a spinout there. 580 and 680, no problems across the richmond/san rafael bridge, but gusty winds all over the bay. another report at northbound 101 counter-commute heading away from the richmond bridge, but we have an accident reported as a two-car accident at lincoln avenue. visibility is tough through the area as well. continuing down 101 across the

golden gate bridge through the tunnel, we have a nice drive there. this shows the soupy conditions. crews are moving the cones in preparation for the morning commute. if you see a maintenance crew out there, slow for the cone zone. back to you. we continue our team coverage of the winter storm with how the higher elevations are doing right now. the santa cruz mountains are getting soaked with rain. you saw the big cell that christina showed us. it could turn to snow pretty soon. it is exciting but also dangerous. that's a pretty wine did stretch of road for commuters. and "today in the bay's" marla tellez is live near the summit. what are the conditions like right now? >> reporter: the conditions are very wet. that sums it up out here, no snow just yet. that's expected to happen, i'll tell you when in just a moment, but it is coming down pretty good every once in a while with the wind picking up. so far not many commuters, it is still early, of course. but they are making their way without any problems this morning. on our way up to the summit this

morning we were behind a caltran truck. we presume they are monitoring for the snowy conditions expected. none of that just yet, but last weekend the santa cruz mountains did get snow. we have the viewer pictures to prove it. folks in the redwood estates area snowboarding making the most of the white stuff. they could get more of that this weekend. the national weather service tells me that the santa cruz mountains could get two to four inches of snow overnight into tomorrow morning. it has issued a snow advisory for elevations below 3,000 feet starting at 4:00 this afternoon and then lasting until 10:00 tomorrow morning. that's 10:00 saturday morning. now, the summit here stands at about 2,600 feet. so again, two to four inches of snow could happen overnight. it could be a very white start to your weekend. now, i need to also mention that for drivers, if you are just heading out this morning, of course, caltrans and we all tell you to reduce your speeds.

they do have flashing signs out in effect saying slippery roadways, reduce your speeds. of course, the best advice you can follow on a wet morning like today. live in the santa cruz mountains this morning, marla tellez, "today in the bay." >> thank you, marla. we'll check back in with you later. meantime, police are back at a home in novato trying to remove a body buried in the backyard. police tried to exhume the remains last night because of safety concerns. the hole they were digging is now so large it actually needs to be reinforced. and rain today could only make things worse. the home belongs to dale and evelyn smith. neighbors think that the body is dale smith who disappeared on february 9. a suspicious neighbor says she noticed evelyn referring to her husband in the past tense. then built a brick patio in the backyard. neighbors say that the body is under that patio. smith's family says dale has been in poor health for several years. evelyn has now hired an attorney and is not returning to her home

in novato. new this morning a bizarre twist is surfacing in the jeanine harms cold case. san jose "mercury news" is reporting a link between jeanine harms missing since 2001 and maurice nasmeh. he was killed last month by harms' brother who then turned the gun on himself in a crowded san jose shopping center. now after his death nasmeh's mother reportedly discovered items while cleaning a closet in her son's home. among them, women's clothing, shoes and what appeared to be a clump of human hair, the same color as harms. los gatos police are running tests on the items. nasmeh was the last known person to see harms alive. harms body has never been found. thousands of bay area teens will go without food today to raise money for the victims of the haiti earthquake. almost 5,000 teens throughout the bay area are participating in world vision's 30-hour famine

event. during the 30 hours teens cannot eat any food to experience what the poorest children and families face every day. they will also do some hands-on local community service projects today. a state appeals court is tricking down parts of the san francisco law aimed at landlords who harass a tenant. proposition m lets the city's rent board force lower rents on landlords who treat their tenants badly. bad behavior includes invading tenants' privacy, holding on to rent checks for longer than 30 days or threatening tenants to get them out of rent-controlled units. the first district court of appeals says the city doesn't have the constitutional right to force lower rents on landlords. muni is being investigated for problems on their tracks and other safety issues. the california public utilities commission says the safety violations turned up during 20 inspections over the past year. the cpuc says it found defects on muni tracks and saw problems with the automatic train control

system in the subway. state regulators also say muni leaders do not work quickly enough to address the concerns. now muni insists it is working closely with state regulators to try to fix problems as they come up, but they say the major problem is maintaining and repairing the tracks, most of which are more than 30 years old. all right. no matter where you are headed if you are headed out today, grab an umbrella. the rain is really coming down. >> yes, maybe even some snow. you are seeing the little pink blips come up now. >> yes, the pink is the rain/snow line. you can see what's happening over lake what to right now, it is dumping snow from this system. let me show you what's happening. we have widespread rain with heavier pockets. now that our temperatures are dropping just to where it is about 32 degrees and 1,000 feet we are starting to pick up a little bit of a rain/snow mix and even pockets of white. these are the east bay hills. i'll take you up to the north. it looks like the same situation is now happening just to the east of santa rosa in the north bay hills.

so everything is still right on track for temperatures to fall with some very low snow levels as we head through the latter portion of tonight into tomorrow morning. will it still be coming down tomorrow morning? that's everybody's question. if it is, it will certainly be cold enough for snow levels to fall to at least 500 feet. and flurries at sea level, maybe some flakes right on the valley floor. this is our system of low pressure. what's going to happen throughout the day is our showers thin out about noon. then all this cold air, you see the patches of clouds, all the spotty clouds, that's a really, really cold air mass that's going to settle into the bay area. probably as we head through the next few days temperatures overnight are going to be bitter cold. you'll need that extra blanket. by noon today, as i told you, we are expecting the showers to thin out. then the question mark comes up heading through 11:00 p.m. tonight when the snow levels really drop. will all the moisture make its way onshore? i think some of it will, and i think we'll see some snow. we'll talk more about that coming up.

hey, you have been waiting for the word of the day, haven't you? we want to send you to cinequest. you can win a trip to tribeca or a trip to the dallas film festival or the los angeles film festival. the word of the day today is "the african queen." log on to nbcbayarea.com and enter that name and you'll be registered to win. we want your pictures, too. if you see the white stuff, send them to us. back to you. christina, we'll take it over here. a little bit locallier, we have a lot of water on the roadways. you can use your car, not a boat just yet. spinouts are reported in many spots. we have a new accident reported on northbound 101 at highway 92. so as you approach the san mateo bridge transition, getting over the water is just fine, but getting through the water is an issue. there's another accident there near the interchange. be very careful up telethrough belmont north into the city. looking farther south, we look at the freeways, 280 and 101, no

problems as far as the volume or speeds into the south bay. 237, watch for typical patches of flooding coming through milpitas getting closer to 880 and the 237 interchange. you see slowing out of mountain view and sunnyveil. cold and wet, and marla will et let us know if the snow comes. looking at the headlights, we have the glowing lights and the camera shaking because the winds kick up from time to time. keep that in mind in addition to the slippery roadways. no major delays to the bay bridge toll plaza, but the major puddling. that looks like a lake on the bay bridge. use caution because when you hit the puddles it can pull your car from side to side. that's all you need this morning. you don't need that, i don't need that. it is friday. >> no one does, ever. take it easy out there. >> i saw a couple spinouts on the way in today. slow down. 5:09. did you feel a smart earthquake overnight? we'll tell you where it hit and how big it was coming up. here's a reason to

celebrate, the holiday you didn't know about. it is national clam chowder day. how you can celebrate for cheap. and a live look outside at san jose this morning. we are keeping track on the storm all morning long. we'll be right back. i finally found a body wash that moisturizes and softens my dry skin. [ female announcer ] new gold bond deep moisture, with 7 moisturizers and 3 vitamins. the body wash that moisturizes like a lotion.

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good morning, everybody. welcome back. a live look outside this morning. these are the truckee scales outside of truckee on interstate 80. we don't see any cars there. you can tell through the lens there, the light, it is snowing. mike tells me that truck traffic is closed down on interstate 80. you cannot go eastbound past applegate for big rigs. car and suv traffic is allowed but they do have chain restrictions. so they have a lot of snow up there. he tells me there are some downed trees, so interstate 80 will be a little bit treacherous. as you can see, they have a lot of snow on the ground up around the truckee area this morning. check before you head to the high country today. well, it is possible you

woke up to a little shaking this morning, especially if you live near the coast. just after midnight there was a 3.4 quake 18 miles southwest of half-moon bay. it hit in the middle of the pacific but you may have felt it. the police department may lose a very valuable crime-fighting asset because of the budget crunch in san jose. the department will ground its helicopter the next three months as a trial cost-cutting measure. the department will then decide if it can get by without the chopper for at least a year. cutting the chopper may save some police jobs but some people do worry about losing eyes in the sky during searches for suspects and when looking for missing people. on a cold, rainy day, a bowl of hot clam chowder in a bread bowl sounds pretty good. today happens to be national clam chowder day. a bay area chain restaurant is celebrating by offering a two for one deal on clam chowder in a bread bowl. go to boudinbakery.com. print a voucher to get a buy one, get one free deal.

mccormick and schmick's is also offering the deal. for the first time in my life, i can usually eat his and mine because he doesn't like clam chowder. >> you are talking about a good stew, maybe some chili on a day like this. desperate times. you have to check in with christina to see how she's surviving the harsh winter here. boy, with this comfortable air-conditioning we have kicking in here i'm really just watching it. i would hate to be a driver right now. if you are someone who has to hit the highway this morning, make sure you are prepared for some wet roadways. we also have some pretty heavy downpours. you can get stuck behind one of those semi trucks, yes, a very dangerous combination. it has been raining, especially in the south bay, where we are picking up the most moisture for the past eight or nine hours. what we are noticing this morning is new within the last 15 to 20 minutes. we have the little pink pockets. they don't last long, but that's going to show you right here that we have some snow mix coming down right now.

as temperatures drop through the next couple of hours we'll see more of the pink, more of the white. here's santa rosa. take a look at the hills just to the east of santa rosa. we are picking up a little snow this morning. now, the real tricky part of this forecast comes into play heading through tonight into tomorrow morning when our temperatures drop to near freezing, even in the cities of san francisco and oakland. all this cold air, you see the spotty clouds, it is going to reside right over the bay area. it will really start to mix and settle in heading through tonight. and if we have any moisture tomorrow morning with temperatures that cold, definitely possible to see some of the flurries on san francisco's floor. same for oakland. and places that typically don't see the snow, yeah, we are expecting it in redwood city, mountain view, you are fair game. this is what we are expecting by noon today. showers are going to significantly thin out. then the cold blast moves in. really cold conditions throughout the day today. you'll need the jacket and the umbrella as we head through

11:00 p.m. tonight. it will get tricky then with a lot of moisture around. it will be showers coming ashore. if they do, definitely a possibility to see the snow. this is what i'm forecasting. snow in livermore. 32 degrees in danville to make for a dusting of snow. san martin, if you are getting moisture over your area, a dusting of snow. and san francisco, 52 feet. some of the highest elevations could have light accumulations of snow. i think it is more likely to see the flurries. but what's really interesting is that we are picking up snow in livermore now on our forecast model. so, yeah, looks like it is going to happen, at least in some cities. we'll keep you updated all morning long. back to you. it is all the talk. it is exciting. you have to play it safe, but it is exciting. 5:17. sunday is the biggest night of the year in hollywood. >> the academy awards will be handed out at the kodak theater in l.a. honoring the best in film. two films have separated

themselves from the pack during the award season. "the social network" has momentum, but the frontrunner is "the king's speech." >> it is a period piece about royalty. it has all the elements that tend to lead to best picture. >> the film star collin firth is considered near luck to take best actor. natalie portman is expected to win best actress for her role in "the black swan." 5:18. we continue to follow our big story this morning, a cold and powerful winter weather storm system is pounding the bay area. we'll take a look at how it could affect your commute coming up. and protesters continue to pack the streets in libya. and now iraq as well. live analysis from "meet the press" moderator david gregory is coming inup. many spammers are causing several problems. we

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good morning, folks. it is 5:21. we are talking about the snow coming up in the future, but right now we have a lot of rain on the roadways. a reason of concern for the morning commute and midday drive. so whether or not you are going in early this morning, keep in mind the rain-soaked roadways in the hillsides are likely to see downed trees. we had an earlier accident at highway 24 near golanos. that has cleared now. we often get reports of flooding

near the 6:00 hour. we'll follow that. the east bay is maintaining a nice flow over to the bay bridge toll plaza. right now we are focusing on the north bay with an earlier accident and a spinout at lincoln avenue. we note it is clear, but down to the golden gate bridge from marin county, we had reports of flooding there. a location was requested and they said marin county. folks for the golden gate or bay bridge toll plaza, either one we can get. well, that's all right. we'll keep moving. there's the golden gate bridge with soupy conditions in the area. you can see the wet roadways. a note heading to doyle drive and 19, last week we saw a lot of flooding through the tunnel just north of golden gate park. keep that in mind. the web cam if it is up and available, interstate 880 near applegate, you can see all the lights and cars on the side of the road. trucks are being stopped at eastbound 80 at applegate. in the last few minutes all

traffic is being diverted. the trucks were the only vehicles being stopped, but now only a couple cars are going through. plan on big delays near the sierra. hold off if you don't absolutely have to go. >> it looks like tomorrow morning will be a better bet there as well. on sunday morning, you always turn to "meet the press." a day of rage in the middle east is what we are talking about. protests are spreading into iraq, hundreds of people are out in the streets as part of the anti-government rally. "meet the press" moderator david gregory is in washington, d.c., this morning. thank you for joining us for a preview of your show on sunday. we want to talk about the u.s. very invested in iraq. how long does the president wait to step in? >> well, stepping in is not so easily done. i mean, i think it is a very difficult proposition for the administration as it looks country to country and how it can exercise some influence. libya is what's front and center right now. there's a lot of quiet did lo macy going on, concern about a violent crackdown by moammar gadhafi and what the u.s. can do

about it. there's discussion with allies about u.n. sanctions and maybe a military strike if it would come to that with nato allies. but these are very difficult movements, each with their own character from country to country. >> they are condemning the african nation. do you think it will have any affect? >> well, again, with they are trying to do is put together a united front here. and it doesn't appear to be working very well so far, and there's also a question of time. look how quickly events are moving in libya as they have in other countries. so moisture time is there to mobilize international support for some kind of action, condemnation, sanctions or something more severe. i think that's got to be the primary concern, but what is striking is the silence from the administration. it is not clear what they should be doing at what point and how they should be using any kind of public statements. >> all right. what guests do you have on this weekend? >> we'll be talking to senator john mccain about the events in the middle east. also governor scott walker from

wisconsin about the standoff with the unions there. >> right, so much going on in the world and in our own country. we thank you for taking the time, david gregory, from "meet the press." and after "meet the press" stick around for a new "press here." scott mcgrew find out if electric cars with the future. and contessa talks about big carmakers from nissan. "press here" runs this sunday at 9:00 a.m. speak of the devil. >> that was so nice of you. >> meantime, scott is here. you are talking tech news, google is in the news again. they are trying to sort out tricksters. if google cannot determine the top research results they are dead. that's what is happening on all kinds of websites. jcpenney trying to trick the search engine into putting its results first through extra links and other ploys. well, this morning google says it is adjusting its rhythm to

weed out the less than perfect ruts results. this is kfc saying it is adjusting its chicken recipe. all of google's success is dependent on tweaking all its computers. and twitter is this close to opening a new office in mid-market san francisco, but it is still negotiating over rent. the city has offered twitter six free years of payroll tax. there's concern, though, the law may require the city to tax twitter's employees stock options. brent and laura, the mayor doesn't expect to enforce that, but there's a lot of pressure to keep twitter in town in san francisco. >> that's interesting. the time is 5:26. the newly-reinstated cold case unite in the south bay solves its first case. we'll have the details on that coming up next. and an admission of guilty. b.a.r.t.'s board confirms the

ousting of its general manager may not be have been on the up and up. plus another blow to an already suffering family, they were robbed while at their son's funeral. what the grieving parents have to say. and a live look outside this morning, it is soggy and wet and there's the the works. we'll tell you when and where at 5:27 right now. well this year our garden's simply amazing.

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[ male announcer ] experience. lowe's. let's build something together. come in to lowe's and get 1 pint of primrose. was $1.18. now only 98 cents. new this morning,thousands of new documents on the san bruno explosion could soon be released from the federal government. rain and cold temperatures

hit the north bay this morning. i'm christie smith. the warning is out to protect your plants, your pets, your pipes. we'll show you what it all looks like coming up in a live report. and i'm bob redell live in san francisco, which in less than 24 hours could be blanketed in a nice shade of white. that story is coming up. and a life look outside at oakland today, 880 is moving through the area. we'll keep ju you updated on all the water on the roads as you head out on this friday, february 25th, on "today in the bay." good morning, everybody. 5:30. thank you for joining us. i'm brent cannon. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. it is a soggy start to the day. a lot of spinouts on the roads. let's check the morning commute with mike. good morning, brent and laura. we have very light traffic volume before 5:00 in the morning, but already i saw a number of reports all over the

bay. we are focusing on antioch and highway 4. it is showing speeds down to 35 miles per hour from 880 to love ridge. the typical slowdown doesn't start at that extent until 6:30 as far as the widespread effect on highway 4. so that might be the rain coming through the area. christina will show you a bit the radar, and it has reflected rain coming through concord and the east bay hills. we could get a dusting of snow as well. meanwhile, coming across the cartinas and venetian bridges, we have the gusty wind to take you around. keep that in mind, we have the advisory for slick roads, gusty conditions. that could result in trees down. look at the bay bridge toll plaza with big puddling. the generic warning for the rain and slow, slippery conditions out there. they could be icy as well. back to you. our storm coverage continues now. the next few hours will be anxious ones for many bay area wine growers. what happens over the next 24 hours could affect the crop for the entire season. >> it could ruin it. growers in napa are keeping careful watch over the vines as

temperatures are set to drop and the rain could turn to snow. >> "today in the bay's" christie smith is live in napa, wine country, with a look at how things are going and what they face. >> reporter: good morning to you. well, the big chill is on the way. it is what everyone is talking about, but i have to tell you that i'm glad that we dressed for the rain because it hasn't stopped all morning since we left the east bay coming here to napa. now, i wanted steve to pan off to show you what we have been dealing with, just the rain coming down here all morning. and certainly the warning is out for people in the north bay to not get bitten by these cold temperatures. vineyards are using wind machines to raise the temperatures just a few degrees to keep the vines from freezing, which is very important for the wine crop. at home you are advised to cover your plants that are not used to this cold air with the old sheets, that sort of thing. this morning napa residents are telling us they know it is coming but they are not going

out of their way, just using a little bit of common sense. >> bundle up more, just bundle up a lot more. what more can you do? >> reporter: now, of course, along with protecting your plants you want to protect your plants and keep them inside. the marin municipal water is suggesting that you insulate your exposed pipes. now, as i said, it has been raining here for hours in napa. my colleague bob redell is standing by in san francisco. he is on the snow watch. bob, any sign of it yet? >> reporter: no, not yet. we are still a ways out, hours out. good morning to you, christie. we have been hearing that the highs today are going to be in the 40s. that's the highs. no one needs to tell you that. you can feel it in your knuckles standing up here on top of twin peaks in san francisco. and because of the cold temperatures, that's why there's the chance of snow today. and if it is going to snow at over 900 feet where i'm at, this

would be one of the most likely places to see snow in san francisco. i'm not talking about that fake stuff that olympic gold skier johnny moseley has brought in to at&t park for skiing competitions, no, i'm talking about the real stuff falling from the skies. you can see in the personal photos of betty shamis of san jose, these were taken back in 1976. it was february 5th, 35 years ago, that was the last time it snowed and it stuck to the ground in san francisco. there was so much snow in san jose, you can see in the photos there was enough for a snowman. will there be that much this time around? the big question is will there be snow at these levels. it is going to -- if it is going to happen it will happen later tonight because that's when we'll see the coldest temperatures that we have been hearing from christina loren. or it could be early tomorrow morning. of course, you have to have the rain timing with that. if it does happen, they are

saying the levels could drop down to 500 feet, which would certainly be low enough to hit certain spots of san francisco, like twin peaks where i'm standing right now. as far as accumulation, there are no forecast models out there calling for more than an inch of accumulation at sea level. again, assuming it hits at this level. reporting live atop twin peaks in san francisco, bob redell for "today in the bay." thank you, bob. rain, snow, ice, whatever happens, wherever you live, we would like to see it. send us your weather pictures to weatherpic@nbcbayarea.com. you can see it there on the screen. we'll share your best pictures coming up tonight at 11:00. you could see a little bay area history. federal investigators are about to kickoff three days of hearings on the san bruno disaster by leasing thousands of pages of new documents. the records include technical reports and interview transcripts from the ongoing investigation into the pipeline blast that killed eight people in september.

the mayor and city manager of san bruno will attend the hearings which start on tuesday in washington, d.c. the san bruin anyway fire chief, state public utility commissioners and others are expected to testify. tuesday's hearing will focus on the way pg&e operates. wednesday's hearing deals with federal and state oversight. and thursday's hering is over industry-wide technology. a bay area man is behind bars this morning charged with killing his wife six years ago. gary swarsky will make his first court appearance in palo alto. his wife rianna was first reported missing in sunnyvale in 2005. police found her scale in april of 2008 near the santa cruz mountains three years later. police credit the new arrest in part to santa clara district attorneys newly reestablished cold case unit. the chauncey bailey case will stay in alameda county. the judge refused to grant a change of venue.

lawyers for antoine mackey and yusef bay iv argue they could not get a fair trial due to widespread publicity. they say bay ordered the killing of chauncey bailey in 2007 because the writer was going to expose internal conflict within the bakery and its impending bankruptcy. bay and mackey are also charged with two other murders. shocking news for the walnut creek family who had to lay their teenager son to rest after he drowned in a drainage canal. as the family attended the funeral for matthew miller somebody robbed their home. thieves broke down the front door and stole several personal items. the family's neighbors are outraged. the millers say they have received incredible support from the community so they are trying to focus on the outpouring of love rather than on the burglary. their son matthew would have turned 17 yesterday. 5:37 right now. the fate of b.a.r.t.'s general manager is up in the air after b.a.r.t. directors admit to

ousting her in an illegal vote. the b.a.r.t. board voted to fire dorothy dugger during a closed session to weeks ago, but the vote went against state open meeting lawns. board members took back their vote but dugger's future with the transit agency is up in the air. the committee of directors is working on negotiations with dugger. right now we want to check in with mike. we have been talking about the bay area really getting hit with a lot of rain this morning. that means roads are slick and there's lots of pooling on there. you have to be careful. yes, it is friday, a lot of folks like to let their mind wander to the weekend. but really focus on your drive this morning. the south bay got hammered all night. now we have a new accident reported. this one, the description is dramatic, this is southbound 680 near mckey road. we are hearing that the car involved, a honda accord, flew backward off the roadway. i don't know exactly what that means, so we have a call to san jose police department to tell us more about this. we'll get more details as they

arrive on scene. the rest of the south bay is slippery and moving at the speed limit for most of the roadways. lower the speeds as you head through the area. we do want to note as you head up -- he's a live look at the san mateo bridge first. the camera is shaking because of gusty conditions. also, the blurry lens is water kicking up there. slippery conditions all across the bay heading up from the san mateo bridge past the coliseum. blurry lights and the shaking camera, wet, soupy conditions. we are watching for reports of downed trees as a result of the wind. so far we are looking okay heading down the east shore freeway. berkeley is looking clear for interstate 880. 19 minutes off the cartinas bridge so far. the rest of the approach is looking friday light. but we have seen a number of spinouts this morning. call me if you have anything to share. back to you guys. 5:39 right now. bob redell gets all choked up on his next assignment. he has a close-up look at the art of sword swallowing. plus, do you know this man?

police are on the lookout for a bank robber this morning. an adorable video of a backyard tree fort and gadget friday are all just ahead. we are taking a live look outside at the slick roadways. here's a live look at the golden gate bridge. traffic and weather all morning long. it is 5:40. ♪

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life opens up when you do. and try 3d white paste and rinse. it is friday morning. a live look outside at the bay bridge this morning. it is a very soggy start to the day. a lot of spinouts to talk about this morning. just watch yourself as you leave this morning. more unrest in libya today and the u.s. hopes to launch a

ferry full of americans who have been stuck in tripoli because of bad weather. they are hoping it cooperates now, but that's just half the story. "today in the bay's" tracie potts is live in washington, d.c., with more on how the u.s. is preparing to put more pressure on libya trying to end the bloody revolution. traci? >> reporter: we just got word that the ferry did get off this morning just a short while ago. the managing director of the private ferry company says they were able to leave the port in tripoli. it is an eight-hour trip to malta, so they expect to arrive some time later this afternoon our time. meantime, there's still chaos at the airport. a lot of people are trying to get out. the state department is trying to get a charter flight in there today to evacuate some of those remaining americans. and as you mentioned, big questions about sanctions, what will the u.s. and other nations do to try to stop this violence. president obama is talking with leaders of britain, spain, italy, they are going to be

talking about possible sanctions, like freezing assets, a travel ban on some of the top leaders from libya's government. maybe even a no-fly zone. something the u.s. says they have to work together with other countries to implement. also, today an emergency meeting of the u.n. human rights counsel. they will consider a proposal debated yesterday on whether to kick libya off the counsel as a result of what they say are gross and system attic human rights violations that they want to investigate. lots of questions still up in the air. later today we'll wait to hear that the americans arrive safely in malta. >> what about moammar gadhafi? if he does not step down and tries to stay in power like happened in tunisia and egypt, what can happen next? >> reporter: it is a good question. a bit of a wild card right now. analysts say he could be killed by his own people. he could be driven out of the country. he seems defiant in terms of

staying. the u.s. has not ruled out military action. just a lot of scenarios out there right now. >> thank you, traci. much closer to home and my st. mary's gales have one more shot at the acc title. the gales could not pull it off last night using losing in overtime 89-85. that means both teams are tied for first in the conference. st. mary's has one more game against portland, so they can tie it up. go gales! go giants, too. they officially start spring training because they are playing a game against the arizona diamondbacks this afternoon at 12:55. >> before the game et gets underway, there's important business to take care of. the world championship series sign, you can see them painting it there. it will be on display all throughout spring training right behind home plate. you get that. the giants are the world series champion. look at what you get there. >> how can you miss that?

our big story today, we were talking about the rain, maybe snow here. but the sierra is also getting pounded with more snow right now. >> yes, let's go to brian hickey from our nbc station in sacramento up in applegate this morning. driving in higher elevations is pretty dangerous this morning. tell a lot of bay area folks to put it off until tomorrow. >> reporter: yeah, we are actually below 2,000 feet here. and it has been snowing and now kind of a rain/snow mix. but that's been enough to shut down interstate 80 to truck drivers at this point. earlier this morning it was shut down to all drivers because of spinouts and just nasty conditions. you can see all the big rigs lining the freeway here at applegate along i-80 in both directions as they are trying to get over the mountain here this morning. right now cars with four-wheel drive and snow tires and chained-up vehicles are allowed to go through all the way over the top. they were holding the cars at colfax up until an hour ago and allowed them all through. but still very low for chain controls in the sierra. very cold here.

we are expecting the snow levels to drop even lower. auburn, maybe even lower than that, closer to the valley floor once the colder air moves in later today and into tonight, but for now, again, very low snow conditions. and we were up the road probably about six miles from here up in wemar where they accumulated a couple inches and closer to a foot near colfax. significant snow down low that is supposed to go lower. for the ski areas that means very light, deep powder up on the top. you just have to be able to get there first. in the meantime, it is pretty nasty anywhere you are along interstate 80, even down in sacramento, very windy for those going across the open bridges. live in applegate, brian hickey, going back to you. >> you look like one of the guys you can hire to put on the chains, so maybe we'll go up there. >> reporter: it is federal law that we have to wear the safety vests. safety first. >> that's exactly true. >> thank you, brian. as always, he's out in the elements this morning. a remind ebb reminder it is

closed to the trucks east of applegate. you need to have your chains. you have to be careful. in fact, all around the bay area you have to be careful. we'll check the traffic with mike. >> i'm looking over here at the south bay, here's an accident. first, here's the web camera showing interstate 80 at the truckee scales. because of the lights, all the snow going across the roadway, you can't make out the pavement even though the trucks are going through the area because the snow is building up so much. they have closed it to trucks through applegate. at truckee you can get a truck through there, but only passenger vehicles are going through right now. bring the chains that are required. brynn hickey is up there to give you help. maybe he can give you a discount if you know brent and laura. we are talking about the maps now. an accident on 680. we have a first incident reported on 880 at 17 near the valley fair exit near stevens creek. reports of flooding. i'm saying it is slippery. laura is horrified you may not

get to valley fair, but this is still early. things have not yet opened. flooding for the area. chp has been called to a traffic problem there. we'll let you know if they get equipment out there to block the lanes to pump the water out. sometimes we see it in the south bay intersections. 680 at mckey we had a dramatic spinout reported when a car flew backwards off the roadway. chp said it was worded dramatic. that was the record, but it is a non-issue. the car slid off the roadway and turned around and went back onto the roadway. just watch the slippery conditions throughout the south bay. that's a big note for folks through the area. we'll get you a look at the maze and the approach to the bay bridge where the commute is building. it is a friday, a lighter build. the spinouts have eased up, but 580 and 680 will see reports of flooding there. and a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza, maybe we have that? we don't. we'll take you back to the desk. i have had enough time. back to you guys. >> lots more to go check out. we'll see you in a bit. a hearing this morning will decide if repeat sex offender

cary verse will return to jail indefinitely. verse was arrested earlier this morning or earlier this week for allegedly sexually a what racing somebody in his therapy session. prosecutors say the most recent evidence is proof of his pattern of deception. and they want to judge to lock verse up for good. the state already considers him a violent sexual predator. this morning police need your help tracking down the man who robbed a concord credit union. take a look, we have a picture of him from surveillance cameras. the man entered the metro one credit union just after 1:00 yesterday afternoon and demanded money from the teller. he left the bank and drove away in a white four-door car. anyone with information on the case is urged to call concord police. city mayors are heading to sacramento to pitch a plan to save the redevelopment agencies from the chopping block. you should the mayor's new plan the agencies would be funded by state bonds and would repay the bonds by $200 million per year.

state treasury big lockey and his spokesperson tell "the chronicle" this plan is more of a gimmick than a solution. the governor wants to save the state $2 billion by cutting redevelopment money from the city budgets and giving that money to the state. 5:50 right now. a watchdog group says california should roll back pensions and dump guaranteed retirement payouts for state workers. the state's pension system is broken and can only be fixed by cutting into the benefit of current workers. of course, any attempts at pension reform would trigger legal and political battles. the governor's current budget proposal calls for a variety of taxes and cuts but does not address pension changes. a new report sheds light on what brentwood schools spent most of its money on. the pepperdine university report shows in the 2008/2009 fiscal year the brentwood union school district allocated 74% of its money toward classroom spending, that's more than any other district in contra costa or alameda county. brentwood has performed well in the state academic performance

index. last year all but one of brentwood's ten elementary schools and middle schools exceeded 800 for the mark for proficiency. there's a day for everything, and apparently tomorrow in the bay area it is going to host worldwide sword swallower day. and "today in the bay's" bob redell went to check it out. >> he says do not try this at home. or i would think anywhere else. >> reporter: have you hugged your sword swallower today? you may want to in appreciation for world sword swallower day this saturday when sword swallowers like matthew buviet will be swallowing swords at ripley's believe it or not museums in san francisco and across the country. matt, how are you? show me some love. why? we just met. show us what you got. >> 26 inches down the hatch without a scratch.

>> reporter: it looks like you ate a quarter of one. never heard that joke before. >> you want me to really train you? get an ordinary coat hanger, bend it and practice swallowing this. let me just try the regular sword. good luck. give it a jiggle to get it past the gag reflex. >> reporter: i think i punctured my chest. hold that, please. >> i have never heard of that before. i guess you did. >> reporter: see what i'm talking about? >> you need a doctor. >> reporter: no, you need a lawyer. >> only bob redell. ripley's believe it or not museum? san francisco is holding sword swallowers day tomorrow at 1:30.

if you need to get out of the house, maybe that's the place to be, i don't know. >> repeating, do not try this at home. >> or anywhere else. exactly. i don't know if we can top that. your gadgets are pretty cool, though. my gadget is cool. i have a cute video to show you. it is friday, i thought you may like this. it is video from a backyard in seattle, one of the luckiest kids in the world. take a look at this. his dad built him a backyard rocket. now the family calls it the revena ultra low vehicle. it never takes off. >> 20 seconds and counting. t-minus 15 seconds. 12, 11, 10,ignition sequence, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.

>> wow. >> i know, there's compressed air and a little shaker motor underneath the tree port. how awesome is that? >> that would be great. that's what a childhood is about. >> i want a new dad. >> scott. >> my dad is outstanding. >> that's amazing. >> i got an e-mail from a viewer talking about the commercial for the apple ipad. there was some guy playing guitar through the apple ipad. and the guy wanted to know more about it and couldn't find the ap. it is an app and a gadget as well. it is called the amplitude rig. the fellow there is playing it. it plugs into your guitar and your, ipad. so the ipad becomes your guitar-effect pedal. instead of stomping on it with your hand you actually just touch it with your finger and get the reverb and all the other stuff. about $40 in. it is called the i-rig.

>> interesting. very cool stuff. >> thank you, scott. >> you have done good. cbs is pulling the plug on one of its most popular sitcoms, at least for if rest of the season. cbs made the decision after actor charlie sheen blasted the network on a national radio show. in a statement cbs said, based on the totality of charlie sheen's statements, conduct and condition, cbs and warner bros television have decided to discontinue production of two & a half men. charlie sheen didn't believe the show would survive without him and insulted the show's creator and blasted alcoholics anonymous and just went on a rant. cbs giving all the other things that happened -- >> that guy is not going to survive. >> they canceled the show. 5:56 right now. "american idol" has chosen its top 24 contestants. they are actually a few locals

to watch. >> 24-year-old james durbin of santa cruz made the cut. he's one of 12 men to compete on tuesday to make it to the next round. >> when it comes to the women, you want to root for thea maggia. she's 16 years old and lives in mountain house just north of tracy. nesdne with the w girl. we have a lot of news coming up in a minute. >> stay with us.

the rain has been falling all morning. could it soon be turning to snow? we'll have live team coverage of the storm. and snow is expected in the santa cruz mountains. i'm going to tell you when. i'm marla tellez live along highway 17. i'm checking the roadways and will bring you the latest conditions coming up.