good morning. i'm christy smith live in oakland. coming up, we're going to be talking about memorial day commemorations happening across the bay area, both big and small. and the search continues this morning for an east bay nursing student. why police say it may be foul play. plus why california firefighters may have to restrict their use of a key tool in fighting wildfires this summer. a live look outside this memorial day at the beautiful bay bridge. not a lot of traffic out there. you all sleeping in? it's monday, may 30th. this is "today in the east bay."

>> from nbc bay area, reporting what matters to you, this is "today in the east bay." >> good morning to you. i'm laura garcia-cannon. scott mcgrew has the day off. it's 4:30, quite early. especially on a holiday. christina, help wake people up. >> the cold air will smash you in the face. it is cold out there this morning, even with cloudy conditions in some parts of the bay. we've got these clouds situated right over the north bay and a little bit of that cloud cover is encompassing the east bay as well. so it's kind of mild but, hey, about five degrees cooler this morning than where we end upped when we met here on friday morning. make sure you're ready for that. a pretty good looking forecast. the rain moves in. kind of a rainy week. i'll break it all down for you coming up in weather. right now, mike, a lot of red and blues out there this morning. >> yeah, as far as the cold and weather. right now a lot of greens as far as the traffic. >> even the construction not a

major issue going on. overnight construction. a lot of folks got memorial day off for that. highway 4 open in both directions. a westbound closure coming later this week. it's overnights. getting to the bay bridge, no problems. travel times coming throughout the area. we expect a lighter volume. i'll let you know about a couple of warnings, including one i may be able to show you coming up. new this morning, today is memorial day. and there will be events across the bay sa lurth nation's fallen veterans. christie smith is live in oakland where one ceremony will take place later. good morning. >> good morning to you. we're at mountain view cemetery here in oakland. in a couple of hours you'll see veterans coming here, some family members, active duty military, also some scouts and some singers. they're going to be marking the 90th memorial day observation here. and there really are

commemorations happening across the bay area. we were looking at the list and counted no less than 15 observances. we do have video from one in san jose last year remembering those who lost their lives in service to their country. here today in oakland, you are going to see the traditional placing of the wreath. the 21-gun salute and a dove release among other things. also, an oakland youth chorus is going to be here following the ceremony. they are actually going to be offering tours of a refurbished civil war plot here. there's also a parade at the commemoration that's going on at the presidio in san francisco later this morning. there are other services in mare island, walnut creek, alameda, howard, to name a few. some organizations are also going to be talking about ways to support veterans throughout the year. most programs today getting started between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. reporting live in oakland, christie smith, "today in the

east bay." there are less drunk drivers on the road so far this memorial day weekend. drunk driving arrests are down this year compared to last year. deaths are also down. last year by sunday, at 6:00 in the morning, there were 150 du i arrests compared to 129 the same time this year. and last year, there was one death so far, this year. the chp will continue its maximum enforcement efforts through midnight tonight. oakland police are investigating a shooting that killed two people in east oakland near 88th and international. a third person in s in critical condition. that shooting happened just before 10:00 last night. investigators say it may have been a drive-by shooting. a cell phone signal is the latest clue in the disappearance of a nursing student in hayward. this morning the search for her continues. friends say the 26-year-old woman was last seen on friday leaving kaiser hospital where she was doing rounds as part of her training. today in east bay's monte francis has the very latest.

>> reporter: nursing student michele lee took a break from her clinical rotation at kaiser hospital in hayward friday night and left the building. co-workers said the 26-year-old never returned. police found her car, a white 2010 honda crv, similar to this one, parked across the street from the hospital locked. and with valuables inside, including a laptop computer. >> i think it's suspicious. i think any normal individual would think it's suspicious as well. simply that her car was taken from the parking lot and parked a short distance away, albeit secured and just left there. >> reporter: lieutenant roger keener says investigators tracked lee's cell phone to several bay area locations. but found no sign of her. >> again, we're not eliminating any possibilities. we're looking at everything from something as simple and innocuous as she just wanted to be alone to, you know, the negative potentials of what might be at the other end of that spectrum. we're certainly hoping that's not the case, but we are investigating it as if all things are possible.

>> reporter: cool police aren't sure a crime was committed, lee's friends said it's unusual that she vanished without telling anyone where she was going. they also said lee had planned to spend the weekend with a female friend in reno. that friend says lee never showed up. at lee's school, samuel merit university in oakland which is closed for the three-day weekend, a spokeswoman said lee's classmates are all hoping and praying for a positive outcome. monte francis, "today in the east bay." it's 4:36. the family of the danville teenager who jumped off the golden gate bridge will celebrate her life today. they'll hold a memorial for 15-year-old alliyson bayliss at 2:00. people attending are asked to wear blue and to bring photos or other mementos that will be added to the family scrapbook. police believe bayliss jumped off the golden gate bridge last week. she was reported missing by her family and hundreds of people searched for her. in thend, a surveillance camera captured pictures of bayliss

getting on the bridge and never coming off of it. family and friends of more than 900 people killed in the jonestown massacre now have a way to honor the victims. about 200 people gathered at evergreen cemetery in oakland yesterday to dedicate a memorial to the people who died in the mass murder and suicide 32 years ago. east bay cemetery was chosen because more than half of the victims buried there. some of those at the ceremony say they lived at jonestown escaping just before the massacre. >> it wasn't until the wee hours of the morning we heard 500 had survived and 500 were dead. the numbers kept changing until, you know, i mean, probably i guess three or four days later what the count really was. >> he was telling us that, you know, you guys get back here. we all going to be dead. you all just going to go back to the states and start kicking it like you all used to. the next day around noon, 1:00, they told us 400-some people up there had died. >> one of the names is jim jones, the cult leader who

ordered his followers to commit suicide. firefighters may soon have stricter rules on aerial fire retardant drops. the u.s. fire service is deciding whether to tighten the rules. it's part of a long-running legal fight over the environmental effects of dousing millions of gallons of chemical mixture on western wildlands every year. it would not cut overall usage it would reduce drops on and near waterways where they can kill fish and slightly expand areas that are off limits to retardant drops for ecological reasons. east bay communities and high schools teamed up this weekend to help young people in school. the seventh annual 24-hour relay challenge wrapped up yesterday. the event is to encourage young people to be humanitarians and go to college. >> they're like, i don't want to be in high school, man. i'm ready -- why am i even here? i'm working with those students because we need to be bridging those gaps. we're losing a lot of those students.

if we can just connect to more of them and provide them more positive experiences. >> teens run or walk a mile and then hand off a baton to the next group. they keep doing it for a full 24 hours. participating students got pledges to help raise money for local programs that can help east bay kids. this morning it should be smooth sailing for drivers crossing the bay bridge. no more delays are expected. work on the eastbound detour near the toll plaza was finished yesterday morning. the detour will allow construction of the new east spans oakland touchdown to be completed ahead of schedule. that's according to transportation leaders. the new bridge will open to traffic in both directions in 2013. what a sight that will be. what about the forecast today? lots of barbecues no doubt planned. >> lots of barbecues. whether you plan on getting outside around noon, maybe this evening, even tonight, whether should be pretty good. weather turns south as we head through tomorrow, wednesday, even thursday. showers in the forecast. take a look at this jet stream.

it is just taking the storm track bull's-eye into the bay area as we head through the next few days. we'll continue to see those pulse comes through here. as they do, a little bit of rain in the forecast for tomorrow. a stronger round of rain in the forecast as we head into your wednesday. even thursday morning forecasting showers. so, hey if you are someone who doesn't like to do any work outdoors like water, it's good news for you. but i think that some people are just sick of the rain. 53 in hayward. 4 234d sunnyvale. 49 in san mateo. i keep getting facebook comments such as when is the summertime going to arrive? today marks the unofficial start of summer. today is going to feel pretty spring-like. as we head through next week, beyond, i'd say next tuesday, we really start to warm up. that's where our warm-up will really kick in. we have to get through these showers tomorrow, wednesday, thursday. i'll break that down for you in terms of timing. let's get you to work right now if you are in the same boat as us this morning. >> we can at least wear white rain boots.

that's okay. white shoes and rain boots. over here to livermore. traffic flow is very nice. we don't expect much major slowing because it's the memorial day holiday for a lot of businesses. but i wanted to show you a smooth drive. 14 minutes continuing on westbound to the dublin interchange and castro valley. 580 over to 880. my brain is on vacation now as well. even though there's no construction going on at the 880/92 interchange, we have a wind advisory for the san mateo bridge. when we get these advisories, sometimes it shows thecom ra shaking quite a bit. right now very calm. we'll get another live look out there. we'll show you the bay bridge and the shot from the san francisco side. a smooth drive as laura told you. that configuration has changed. shouldn't be a major issue. just be prepared for that. some folks may be a little distracted but not you because you've been watching this. and a note about other folks crossing the bay as well. >> thanks for being here this

morning. >> you got it. coming up, a week after a tornado devastated much of joplin, missouri, we will have a look at the search efforts still under way. and she may not be officially running for president, but sarah palin certainly flirting with the idea. our own political analyst takes a look. plus, a devastating toend the indy 500 for a bay area man greatness. choices: some are minor; others life-changing.

but what if your small choices matter the most,

like, the stairs or the elevator? baked or fried? what if these small choices determine if you'll be the 1 out of every 3 women who'll die of heart disease this year? these choices might not seem like life-changing today, but women are dying of heart disease at the rate of almost 1 per minute. luckily, it's mostly preventable. choose to act. make your choice at goredforwomen.org.

this is "today in the bay." >> and this is a live look outside this morning. a little hazy start to your day. cool. hope you get a chance to enjoy it, though, because change is in the works in the weather department. we'll check in with christina in just a bit. it's 4:45. sarah palin isn't running for president, at least not yet, but she is kick off an east coast bus tour from the back of a motorcycle. she and her family were in the nation's capital and joined tens of thousands of bikers from across the country. they were honoring america's veterans. an event known as rolling thunder. the latest polls show many republicans would welcome pailin in the gop primary race. our own political analyst larry gefrten says for many presidential hopefuls at this point, it's all about picking battles. >> very tough for people to take on an incumbent. they think that doing so is likely to result in a loss, and if you lose, once you've taken

on that incumbent, that tarnishes you perhaps for the next time around. so you really have to pick your battles, as it were. and a number of folks are deciding, you know what? this isn't the time to pick that battle. >> palin's tour continues across the east coast and then ultimately kicks up the key primary state of new hampshire. survivors of the massive tornado to hit joplin, missouri, are starting a second week of what will be a long and difficult recovery. yesterday, president obama toured the strike zone. as "today in the east bay's" jay gray reports, president obama got a look at the devastation and attend an afternoon memorial. >> reporter: looking to raise the spirits of this battered community, president obama travelled to joplin sunday. >> obviously, the scene speaks for itself. >> reporter: the splintered wood and twisted metal stretches for six miles, remnants of neighborhoods now stretched to their limits. >> this is just not your tragedy. this is a national tragedy. and that means there will be a

national response. >> reporter: it's help this city will need for a long time. >> golly, i can't -- it's just overwhelming. >> reporter: but in this place where everything seems to be torn apart, sunday there was evidence that joplin is actually pulling together. ♪ thousands gathered for a memorial to remember and honor the victims of the storm. >> the loss of even one human life is a tragedy, and we have lost scores. >> reporter: a city suffering as it begins what will surely be years of rebuilding and recovery. >> there's no doubt in my mind that joplin will rebuild. and as president, i can promise you your country will be there with you every single step of the way. >> reporter: but right now, solid ground for that first step is so hard to find. jay gray, nbc news, joplin, missouri. >> a lot to rebuild there. it's 4:47 right now. more than a foot of snow fell in

the sierra over this memorial day weekend. yeah, memorial day weekend. look at that. squaw valley is the last of the resorts still open for skiing. isn't that amazing? although many resorts plan to reopen the slopes for the fourth of july, still a base of about ten feet at the top of squaw, which is very unusual for the end of may. it's just amazing. get a little something of everything up there. are we really in california, christina? memorial day? >> yes, and no place like home. >> i do. i love it. >> me, too. >> good morning to you. unfortunately, even though we have more snow on the way to squaw coming as we speak, tomorrow and wednesday in particular, this is the last day they're going to be open. this is your last chance to hit squaw. >> field trip. >> let's do it. right after the show. we're going to -- we'll have to check with mike and see if it's clear. good morning. we're looking pretty good. the bay area, kind of in a transitionary period before we get the next system. it's on its way right now.

this one will dump rain in the north bay for the most part, this first system. another one will spread rain across the bay. but the first one for tomorrow, it's going to drive in cold air. that will be the biggest repercussion from this system. 49 in napa. 52 in oakland. only going to hit the mid-60s in most cities. 70 in san jose. 69 degrees in los gatos and temperatures drop like a rock as we head throughout the next couple of days with cold air on the way. system originated in the gulf of alaska. it's definitely a cold one. take a look where numbers are headed. 65 degrees. few showers early tomorrow. then the rain arrives wednesday. wednesday is probably the only day where you can go ahead and rule out all sorts of outdoor plans. wednesday you want to stay inside. a.m. showers on thursday. a good amount of clearing. it looks like by about 11:00 a.m. friday, saturday, sunday, gradual warm-up and finally in the 80s. it looks like at this time as we head into next week. we're going to have to get through this next run.

we don't have to water. there's a plus. >> saving money, too. thank you, mother nature. the a's will honor the men and women serving america at today's game against the yankees. the team has partnered with san ramon troops direct.org to collect donations at the game. money raised will provide troops with necessities like toothpaste, bottled water and energy bars. oakland has a four-game winning streak going into today. they swept the orioles over the weekend and are just a game and a half behind the division leading rangers. today's game against the yankees starts at 1:05. so close yet so far. a bay area man almost wins the indy 500 in the 100th running of the race. j.r.hildebrand coming into the final turn of the race and then disaster as he tries to pass a lapped car. hildebrandt hit the wall. he is passed and eventually loses the checkered flag. he's just a rookie so he's got

plenty of time to win the indy 500. but, boy, tough day for him. good thing he's okay. coming up, a new report this morning that looks at what parents should and should not give their kids to drink. and the shuttle "endeavour" on the final leg of its final journey. christina asked me to check. there you go. interstate 80. heading out to td nee nd to bri chains. highway 50 is reopened. i'll show you what things are like closer to home.

this is "today in the bay." >> welcome back, everyone. it's 4:53 right now. a new study released this morning is taking a firm stand against energy drinks for kids. as today in the bay's erica edwards reports, the american academy of pediatrics is saying high amounts of caffeine could be harmful for young bodies. >> reporter: when athletes sweat, they need to replenish water and electrolytes lost. but a new report from the american academy of pediatrics find teens are confused about the best ways to rehydrate and are turning to high caffeine energy drinks instead of water or even sports drinks like gatorade. >> energy drinks have no place in the diet of children. >> reporter: pediatricians say the high level of caffeine and other stimulants found in energy drinks can be addictive and may lead to increased heart rate, blood pressure and anxiety. >> we don't really know what caffeine does in large quantities.

we don't know what it does over a period of time to a young, developing body. >> reporter: experts say even sports drinks should only be used in rare instances for those high-level athletes who are exercising for more than an hour. for the vast majority of kids the report finds sports drinks simply translate into unnecessary calories and sugar. contributing to obesity and tooth decay. >> they have a low ph and that means they are more acidic. >> reporter: the american beverage association agrees with the new report saying while sports drinks may have their place on the playing field, energy drinks are not meant for young consumers. it may not be a splashy or colorful, but experts say the best and healthiest way to rehydrate is good old-fashioned h2o. >> see, kids, stay away from my coffee. let's check the morning commute. is there any? >> you know, well, technically, the roads are still there. not a lot of folks on the roads. the eastshore freeway, very

light volume. for many it is a memorial day holiday off of work. it's going to mean a different traffic pattern. a smooth drive throughout the maze. you'll see a midday bump as folks head into the city. if you are heading into or out of the city, this is under the water. if you are faking the b.a.r.t. lines, the trans bay tube has emergency work scheduled this weekend and next weekend. so today, even though it's memorial day and they are on a sunday schedule, expect further delays because of that work. so if you are crossing the bay, expect maybe 20 minutes delayed. check the b.a.r.t. schedule to make sure things are running according to what you think they are. here we have 880, the nimitz freeway and the very light volume of traffic. it is holiday traffic on this portion of your commute. >> let's see how long it lasts. thank you. the space shuttle "endeavour" is on its way home for the left time after docking from the international space

station. ♪ that's "slowness" performed by a band from arizona. the song was picked by representative gabrielle giffords for her husband. shuttle commander mark kelly. it references places giffords want to visit after she recuperates from a gunshot to he head. "endeavour" is scheduled to land back on earth on wednesday. it will be retired after the mission. still only one more shuttle flight left which will be flown by "atlantis" later this summer. coming up -- police in san jose dealing with a string of violence, including a couple of murders. the latest in a live report.d's inag oakl d's mayor is tting ge lot of flack for her latest proposed budget cuts.

new this morning, memorial day weekend turns into a deadly