morning. i'm rushing the weekend already. a live look at the golden gate bridge. looks very overcast there. we're going to start off with checking your weekend forecast. good morning, everybody, i'm marla tellez in for kris sanchez this morning. meteorologist rob mayeda has a look at your forecast right now. >> good morning. the trend we have seen in the weather for the workweek is following us into the start of the weekend. that means more low clouds, misty skies and a few spots for the morning. then right around lunch time, we should see 70s maybe low 80s as early as noon. 4:00, we'll see those numbers climbing into the mid 80s, upper 80s in the warmest places armed the trivalley. 65 for san francisco, 82 in san jose. coming up, we'll let you know if the mild temperatures are going to stick around for the rest of your weekend plans, coming up in the seven-day forecast. >> okay. thank you, rob. new this morning, it is being called the worst single-day loss of life in afghanistan since the war there began a decade ago. and the casualty list includes americans. a nato helicopter was shot down

during an overnight operation in eastern afghanistan. all 37 people on board were killed, including 31 americans serving as special forces units. although the majority killed were nato troops, afghan psychologicalders are also among the dead. nato is conducting a recovery operation. the taliban is claiming responsibility for the attack. this is the hand-written statement they issued. officials there claim u.s. soldiers were conducting a raid on a home when fighters shot down the helicopter. the chopper was a schnook helicopter like the one you see here. it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in the war dock province west of kabul. nato officials say the helicopter had been flying over an area wherein insurgent activity had been reported. republicans and democrats are blaming each other for the first downgrade ever in the nation's credit rating.

standard & poor's, that's s&p's bumped the u.s. from the highest possible rating, down a notch from aaa to aa-plus, the equivalent to having your personal credit score dinged. it leaves the u.s. with a lower credit rating in the country, such as canada, france, germany and the u.k. and may mean the u.s. may have a harder time borrowing money. "today in the bay's" elise kerschner has a look at the unprecedented move. >> reporter: the question everyone wants to know, how will this effect you, your retirement plan, your ability to get a decent home loan or low interest rate on your credit card? a financial adviser would he spoke to says the impact will be immediate. >> it bothers me. i'm concerned. >> reporter: with much of his financial future tied up in his 401(k), robert goodson is concerned. for good reason. >> in the last few days, i think it's down maybe $40,000. so that's a significant amount of money. >> reporter: the 57-year-old

scientist was planning on retiring within two years. but now, with credit rating agency standard & poor's downgrading the nation's rating for the first time since the u.s. won the top rating in 1917, goodson fears he'll have to stay in the work force longer. >> you know, i've got a lot of money tied up in 401(k) plans, and i'm expecting to not have to work for the rest of my life. and i hope some of that money is available to me at some point. >> absolutely, the common man is going to suffer, visibly higher interest rates. >> reporter: speaking to nbc bay area from the nation's finance capital, new york city financial adviser, raj gupta says we all should be worried about dropping the country's rating by one notch to aa-plus. he says the downgrade to lead ininvestors to demand higher interest rates from the federal government, raising costs for governments, businesses and home buyers. >> all debt, whether it's credit card debt, mortgage debt, that's priced off of pressure re is likely to suffer.

>> reporter: s&p's move comes after congress haggled over budget cuts and the nation's borrowing limit. >> the challenge is getting the fiscal house in order. >> reporter: until then, gupta says don't plan on retiring early, save as much as possible, and try to keep your portfolio diversified. goodson says it's a reality he never thought he would see in the u.s. economy. >> i thought the economy in this country was solid and i figured that i would be able to retire early, because we -- my wife and i saved and did well. >> reporter: other rating agencies actually disagree with the s&p. he says this is more about the political climate, not about what's actually happening in our economy. obviously, time will tell and all eyes will be on the markets when they open monday morning. in oakland, elise kerschner, "today in the bay." did you see it last night? bad blood between the giants and phillies led to a bench-clearing brawl at at&t park. take a look. it happened during the sixth inning. giants pitcher ramirez hit shane

victorino in the back with a fastball. vi victorino rushes the mound. the benches clear, and there's multiple fights happening. the brawl lasted a minute, twenty seconds. victorino was the only philly ejected from the game. two giants were ejected, ramirez and whiteside, and here's what the manager had to say after the baseball game. >> hey, it's baseball, and they happen fast and tempers flair, and it's part of the game. you know, but hopefully nobody got hurt out there. >> the giants play the phillies again at at&t park at 1:05 this afternoon. the city of oakland will get some much-needed help on the streets as summer violence  spikes. mayor jean quan set aside funding for 25 officers who were laid off last year. it's expected that 22 of those officers will hit the streets

today, while others are still being retrained. it couldn't come at a better time, since serious crime is up. police chief anthony batts has said the returning officers will likely be put on special task forces to work on reducing crime. santa clara police are hoping newly leased video will help them catch two men who attacked a man outside a bingo hall. here's a look at the video. if you look at the upper left-hand side corner here, two men approached the man, knock him down and then take off. this happened in the parking lot of the american legion hall in santa clara. the man was stand as they tried to rob him. he was taken to the hospital. no word on his condition. now, if you have any information, you're asked to call santa clara police. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, a chaotic scene. rescuers jump in to save a boy buried alive at the beach. we'll have the latest on his condition. plus, a home invasion,

robbery attempt foiled. how a teen helped defend a friend's home with a little quick-thinking. stay with us. [ female announcer ] they've been off limits to dieters since time began. not anymore. ♪ fiber one is bringing brownies back. at 90 calories, the only thing between you and chocolaty brownies is a nicely designed package. ♪ now you can have brownies again.

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welcome back. a live look over overcast skies there, but should clear up for your saturday. it has happened again. another kid buried alive in the sand. this time, near huntington beach in southern california. here's a picture, taken by a witness. the 11-year-old was digging a tunnel when it collapsed on top of him late yesterday afternoon. it took bystanders about two minutes to dig him out. he was breathing, but had sand in his mouth. a witness describes the chaotic scene. >> a dozen men pulled him out of the sand and started -- and then the lifeguard got here and started doing cpr and it took him about a minute before he came to. it was really scary. we thought we lost him.

>> just two days ago, a 17-year-old almost died in newport beach after being buried in the sand. last month, a danville teen was buried alive at a beach near watsonville. he remains in a coma. a savvy 15-year-old foiled a robbery at his friend's home on the peninsula. >> he pointed the gun right at my face, like -- i was like two feet away from him. >> reporter: 15-year-old victor arisa says three men tried to rob his dad as he returned to their apartment in mountain view. victor's buddy, jesus ramiro was inside fiddling with a broken bee-bee gun. when the teens saw the robbers, ma rah mero slid the chamber back, and septembnt the robbers running. >> if he wasn't in there, the guy would probably shoot us. >> reporter: no one was hurt and the robbers didn't get away with anything. police say while ramiro was brave to fend off the robbers,

it's usually not a good idea to confront anyone with a handgun. no kids allowed. some airlines, hotels and even movie theaters are considering that idea. now some restaurants are on board. caps restaurant in st. augustine, florida has a no kids section. now, the owners say they have received complaints since they started this no-kids section three years ago, but guess what, business is booming. many grown-ups are enjoying their quiet and romantic dinners. >> you want to have a nice bottle of wine and dinner, i think you should be able to do that without children crying and running in and out. >> we're restauranteurs, not babysitters. >> other parts of the restaurant are kid-friendly. the cut-off to get in is 16. at 7:11, much more ahead. southern states sizzling in a heatwave. the punishing heat isn't justcr

well. the story when we come back. ut

7:14 now on your saturday morning. a live look over san jose shows overcast skies, a little brisk, i'll have to say when i stepped out the door at 4:30 this morning. we want to check in with rob mayeda with a look at your weekend forecast. good morning. >> good morning once again. one of the things we'll be watching in terms of the weather once the low clouds break up, this is the weekend of the big fremont festival of the arts and gorgeous weather. no worries about air quality or hot temperatures. how about 80s, once the low clouds break up, the event ongoing, 10:00 through 6:00. our own christina loren out there at the bay area booth. check her out, later on today. beautiful weather once the low clouds break up. again, kind of a cool start to the morning. and thanks to the healthy sea breeze, not only are we seeing drizzle and mist in a few spots, but it's also keeping the air

well-stirred up. and with that sea breeze reaching your inland valleys, still good for all of your outdoor plans. but if your outdoor plans include sunshine, stay toward the inland valleys. here is a satellite loop of the low cloud cover punched inland overnight and we will see the clouds retreat back to the coast as we head towards the afternoon. in terms of the sierra, a slight risk of afternoon shores mainly north of lake tahoe as instability fires up for the afternoon. temperatures around the sierra today should be comfortably into the low 80s. speaking of low 80s, some places around the bay area should see numbers in the 80s. san jose, 88 degrees for morgan hill, 86 for los gatos. san francisco, 65 degrees with patchy low clouds. numbers close to 70 around oakland and mid 80s inland. so the seven-day forecast for

this time of year is actually still pretty mild. we will have a chance of getting some 90s back in our inland valleys probably as we get back to the start of the workweek. but overall, things look great, especially if you're heading out to the fremont festival of the arts this weekend. that's a look at your seven-day forecast. now back to you. >> thanks, rob. while the weather has been pretty comfortable for us here on the west coast, many parts of the country have been sweating in record-breaking heat. a huge part of the central and southern u.s. coping with 100-degree temps. janet shamlian has more on the heat setting new records and making millions miserable. >> reporter: high school football. of up against a punishing opponent, unrelenting, triple-digit heat. >>. >> that's why we do it in practice like this. >> reporter: at st. john's school, they're on defense. >> when they're tired, you're not going to get anything out of them anyway. so it's time to get them out, let them get a sip of water and

get somebody else in there and work the drill. >> reporter: in georgia, a solemn memorial for a football player who died after collapsing at practice. doctors say 16-year-old forest jones was a victim of heatstroke. >> we're just walking around, checking on the seniors to make sure they're all right. >> reporter: in baltimore, volunteers are checking in on the elderly, with the heatwave now in its second month. >> this is just unprecedented. according to noaa, we set nearly 9,000 heat-related records in the month of july, including several all-time records for any month. >> reporter: in dallas, an elderly woman died after her air conditioning unit was stolen. her son says he found her unconscious in her stifling home. dallas police say reports of similar thefts are coming in now every day, and that thieves are just ripping these units right out of people's windows. there was rain, but it came in the form of unwanted flash flooding in charlotte, where children had to be rescued from an apartment, and drivers from their trapped cars. one person was killed. cell phone video shows rain water flooding into a hotel lobby near the airport.

back in the frying pan, cooling centers have opened. the problem is most close at sun jo sundown where the temperature is still in triple digits. janet shamlian, nbc news, houston. it is a somber day of remembrance today in japan. clearly, this is not what we should be showing you right now. hiroshima is marking the 66th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack dropped on the city by the united states on this day in 1945 during the last stages of world war ii. the bomb destroyed most of hiroshima. it's estimated as many as 140,000 people were killed. a second a-bomb dropped on nagasaki four days later, killed tens of thousands more, prompting the japanese to surrender. during a ceremony, japan's prime minister said japan should end

its dependence on nuclear power. 7:18 now. much more ahead on "today in the bay." the high cost of a college education could go even higher. coming up, making sure there o h paying that huge .inayat ptt bill, even during tough times.

welcome back, everybody. 7:21 now. you're looking at a live shot of the fremont festival of the arts set to kick off this morning on stevens place at 10:00 this morning. you can see everybody getting ready for that. the tents are ready for all of the crowds to be there. hopefully it's going to burn off. all the weather. passengers are hoping to get a refund from the taxes are out of luck. people who bought tickets before the shutdown then flew in the last two weeks will not get their money back. one more note. now that the shutdown has ended, expect to see those taxes back

on tickets starting tomorrow. if you have a b of a debit card, you may be getting money back from the bank. the nation's largest bank just settled a class action lawsuit over the way it processes debit card transactions. for years, the bank deducted purchases with the largest dollar amount first instead of paying them in the order they were charged. people who had debit cards from 2001 to may of this year and paid overdraft fees as a result of that process could get those fees refunded. well, can you afford college? it's a question more parents and students are asking, especially here in the bay area, where fees and tuition costs keep rising. but there are new ways to help ease this financial pinch. nbc bay area's vicki nguyen goes in depth. >> reporter: business major ray jera came up with a plan to save

$500 a semester. >> i don't know anybody who is doing this. >> reporter: ray designed a hybrid college schedule. he'll take one course at san jose state, and a full load at community college where fees are cheaper. he says the credits will count toward his degree and keep him on track to graduate on time. >> i have to, like, grab on to as much of my savings as i can. >> reporter: international student ching ching l u-turned her hobby into a cash-maker. >> about my dog, my life, my adventures. >> reporter: she applied google ad sense to her blog, by averages 100 unique visitors a day. she says she brings in $100 a month just for writing about her month. >> i figured, okay, why not try this? because i have a lot of friends who read my blog. >> reporter: she recommends students find an on-campus job to save time. >> it sakes headaches and commuting. >> the cost of education is going up 6% a year.

>> reporter: he says 529 plans are a good place for parents and relatives to invest and offers a tax break. >> many people consider it as an alternative to paying an estate tax, if they have a sizeable estate. >> reporter: it's estimated that in 18 years, it will cost $240,000 for a public four-year education here in california. double that if you want to send your student to a private college or university. >> are you saving enough? and if not, what's the gap? >> reporter: and just how much you need to save is no longer a mystery. online tools like this one allow you to build profiles for each student and even plug in the exact numbers for specific schools. >> this is the amount that you're going to have saved up. >> reporter: he says even with the rising cost and fees, the return on a college education is still worth the investment. >> your average college grad earns anywhere from 60 to 70% more than someone that doesn't

go to college. and that's in their first year. >> reporter: so whether you're a student cutting costs now or a parent planning for the future, there are creative ways to get the credits for less cash. vicki nguyen, "today in the bay." vicki says another cost cutting measure, transfer admission guarantees or tags that give students a guaranteed spot into a four-year college. they don't waste time and money waiting for a spot in the uc or csu system. there's a group of young boys and girls in the east bay who are doing the right thing. they're playing sports and getting involved in their community. but their dreams are about to get cut short, because of funding. "today in the bay's" cheryl herd found out a broken promise may end a season of football fun. >> set, go! >> reporter: some of these young boys have never played football in their lives. >> good job, good job, baby! there you go!

>> reporter: but lenesia and her husband changed that by starting the oakland pirates football and cheer program. >> we decided to start it because we saw there was no type of positive reinforcement in our community. >> reporter: but before they got to play their first down, they were sacked. they need $18,000 for equipment and uniforms before they can truly begin their season. >> we had two sponsors and like a week and a half ago, they decided to pull out. we don't know why. >> reporter: some might call that unsportsmanlike conduct. >> what hurts the most is the fact that we got a commitment from them, and we went forward, ordering the uniforms, ordering equipment. and then to back out at the last minute, you didn't back out on us, you backed out on the kids. >> love it. just love it. >> reporter: why? >> because it keeps me out of trouble. and it makes me want to play more sports and be more active. >> reporter: let's go, let's go! >> i can't imagine looking him in the face and telling, you know, it's not going to happen because your parents can't pay. >> i was looking forward to

having a uniform for this team. and to hear that is like -- disappointing. >> reporter: the founder of this organization says the oakland pirates is not only about young boys and football. it's about young girls, cheerleading and education. >> we got spirit! we got it! >> we're not only about football and cheerleading. we're implementing an after-school program. >> reporter: the oakland pirates are looking for a hail mary. they're hoping someone will come through to save their program. >> now it's time to work. >> reporter: in oakland, cheryl herd, nbc bay area news. >> we hope it happens for them, too. and don't forget the girls on that. much more ahead on "today in the bay." a nato helicopter crashes in afghanistan. dozens of americans are dead. we'll have the latest overnight developments. and a kidnapper warning. police say someen may be trying to get local children into their car. ♪

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it is exactly 7:30 on your saturday morning. thanks for being with us. you're looking at a live shot of the fremont festival of the arts. folks there on state street getting ready for the festival that starts at 10:00 this morning. good morning, everybody. thanks for being with us. i'm marla tellez. kris sanchez has the day off today. we begin with checking that weekend forecast with meteorologist rob mayeda. >> good morning. the trend we have seen in the weather through the workweek is following us into the start of the weekend. that means more low clouds, misty skies and a few spots for the morning. then right around lunch time, we should see 70s, maybe even low 8 80s inland and climbing into the mid 80s around the trivalley. 65 for san francisco. 82 in san jose. coming up, we'll let you know if

mild temperatures are going to stick around for the rest of your weekend plans, coming up in the seven-day forecast. thank you, rob. new this morning, it is being called the worst single-day loss of life in afghanistan since the war there began a decade ago. and the casualty list includes americans. a nato helicopter was shot down eastern afghanistan.operation in all 37 people on board were killed, including 31 americans serving as special forces units. although the majority killed were nato troops, afghan soldiers are also among the dead. nato is now conducting a recovery operation. the taliban is claiming responsibility for this attack, and this is a handwritten statement the taliban issued. officials there claim u.s. soldiers were conducting a raid on a home when fighters shot down the helicopter. the helicopter is similar to the one you see here. it was hid by a rocket-propelled

grenade in the province just west of kabul. officials say the helicopter had been flying over an area where insurgent activity has been reported. it is the second time in a month a nato chopper was shot down. in july one was shot down by insurgent fire in the eastern province of kunar. parents in the gilroy area are watching children more closely after police inform them some men may be trying to kid unanimous kidnap young kids. police say the first incident happened on miller avenue when a man ordered a 10-year-old girl to get into his car. the second ace case happened this past wednesday on or tega circle. men tried to lure three kids, asking them to come to a nearby restaurant with him. "today in the bay's" george kiriama has the story. >> reporter: a few families here in gilroy are thankful this

morning that all of the discussions and lessons about stranger danger paid off when put to the test. this morning, we talked with one boy who did the right thing by running away. 11-year-old jacob flores says while he was talking to two of his friends wednesday afternoon, a stranger came up to them. >> he just asked us if we wanted to go somewhere with him. >> reporter: the stranger wanted to know their names. flores said something didn't feel right. >> since he's a stranger, i don't think i should really go with him any place. none of us answered his questions. all of us were like really scared. because we didn't -- we had no idea what to do. >> reporter: but flores and his two friends refused to go with the man. instead, they ran and told their parents what had happened. >> i was very proud of him. and of the girls, as well. i think they did exactly what they were supposed to do, and exactly what we've taught them to do. so as a mom, that made me feel good. >> reporter: just a half-mile away on miller avenue, gilroy police say there was another attempted kidnapping. this time, a 10-year-old girl was in the driveway getting

clothes from the family car when a man in a honda drove up. the girl's uncle did not want his face shown. >> yelled at her to get in the car. and she screamed, and closed the door and ran to the house. >> reporter: the girl's uncle says his niece learned how to deal with the stranger in school and at home. >> we were very happy. very grateful that she had gotten in the -- ran to the house and gotten inside of the house. >> reporter: both families say they know how lucky they are. >> the last couple of days as i really think about it, you think about what could have happened, had they not reacted the way they did. so just a real sense of relief they knew what to do. >> reporter: police are looking for a white, dirty-looking 1990s two-door honda with a black roof and modified exhaust. this was seen by the family on miller avenue. investigators believe both attempted kidnappings are not related, because the description of the suspects are different. if you know anything, please call gilroy police. george kiriama, "today in the

bay." an east bay family is dealing with a heartbreaking loss this morning. their 15-month-old toddler died after falling into the family's backyard swimming pool. this happened in richmond. the girl's mother called 911 after finding her in the pool friday afternoon. police say the toddler scaled a ladder to the above-ground swimming pool and fell in as her mother watched other children inside their home. the girl died at the hospital. memorial services will be held in campbell later this morning for the 22-year-old man shot to death in his santa clara county home two weeks ago. authorities believe andrew daou's father, iman daou is responsible for the shooting. iman daou then turned the gun on himself. many are expected to attend the service in campbell. daou was a graduate of christian valley high school and a student at the university of san diego. family and friends describe him

as deeply spiritual. just two days before he was killed, they say he started a bible study group. it's believed the elder daou killed his son because his son had canner. today's services begin at 11:00 a.m. a much different mood before the giants had he phillies game last night. they came together to honor a boy run down by a suspected drunk driver. ryan white, seen in this photo with his family here remains in critical condition at san francisco general hospital. "today in the bay's" jean elling has more. >> reporter: the giants and phillies both reached out to the families, offering support and assistance, and thousands of baseball fans are rooting for a full recovery. packs of giants and phillies fans walked to at&t park under the watchful eyes of traffic safety officers. directing cars and people so they don't mix.

some visiting phillies' fans say walking in san francisco is dicey. >> really busy. lots of people. crazy. >> reporter: pedestrian safety is a priority outside the ballpark. but several blocks away at mission and newmont come re, fans this family after the thursday night game. this family photo was from his mother's facebook page. ryan is the smaller boy. they're visiting from pennsylvania. now white is in critical condition with a head injury at san francisco general hospital. fans at the ballpark friday night had a moment of reflection in his honor. >> please keep ryan and his family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. >> reporter: by telephone, neighbors say ryan and his brother are big phillies' fans. >> ryan and kevin are always out playing ball, throwing the ball back and forth, and, you know, always, always silly stuff. >> reporter: san francisco

police arrested andrew vargas in hayward about an hour after white was hit. you can see the truck he was driving had front-edge damage. several witnesses identified him and his truck. they say he was driving erratically and hit several cars, along with white. back at the ballpark, fans who are saddened by white's injury are thinking twice about walking. >> it's gnarly. take cabs. >> reporter: suspect vargas is being held on suspicion of driving under the influence and felony hit and run. he is expected to answer to those charges in court next week. reporting in san francisco, jean eli, "today in the bay." >> our thoughts here are the white family this morning. much more ahead. coming up, back to school time. we'll tell you how you can help some of the bay pstoore 'sea poorest hos olt some much-needed school supplies and backpacks. s

welcome back at 7:40 now. it's that time of year. back to school. but as many of you know, the cost of school supplies can add up. so a bay area charity is making

a big promise to deliver backpacks stuffed with supplies to some of the bay area's poorest schools. as "today in the bay's" kris sanchez shows us, the family giving tree is hoping you'll help them make good on that promise. >> reporter: 11-year-old rachel specter heads into sixth grade in two weeks. but this is not her backpack. she and her twin sister sadie are building some of the 18,000 backpacks family giving tree promised to some of the poorest schools. sadie says not having supplies can be tough on kids. >> it's a pretty big distraction, because, like, people are going around to other friends of theirs, asking them what they need. >> i was one of those kids once. and i remember getting things from complete strangers and how amazingly wonderful that felt. >> reporter: when jennifer columbine started the backpack drive 16 years ago, she only got 50. now it's a cause that brings many volunteers back year after year, and drives many donors to

give more every year. >> binders, dictionaries, paper, calculators, kleenex packs, staplers, things i can find at the best possible price, i start scouring for the stuff usually in early january. >> reporter: sloan dropped off $25,000 worth of supplies and got her employer to host a drive at work, write a $6,000 check and allow 20 of her co-workers time off to volunteer. >> yes we never dreamed it would be like this. >> reporter: now it has half the supplies it needs and the distribution is four days away. the fastest way to help, family giving tree.org. >> if you go online and choose the grade level and sex of the child and you put in your credit card and you've bought a backpack to give to a needy child. it takes about 45 seconds and it's wonderful. >> reporter: kris sanchez, nbc bay area news. >> this is one of the many volunteer opportunities you can participate in through nbc bay area. for others, go to our community

website. that's bay area proud.com. well, much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, looking to get your body in shape for what's left of summer? it's never too late. we'll have some secrets of staying in shape from cirque de s solais performers. ouch, that looks painful. ♪ [ woman ] sam begged and pleaded... cirque our new citi thankyou card... and i put them to good use.

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it's never too early to fire up the grill at 7:35, you're log at a live shot of the free metropolitan festival of the arts, folks getting ready for the crowds. this opens on state street at 10:00 this morning. hopefully it's going to clear off for -- as far as your weather is concerned. meteorologist rob mayeda has a look at your forecast. >> good morning, once again. one of the things we'll be watching in terms of the weather once the low clouds break up, this is the weekend of the big fremont festival of the arts and we've got gorgeous weather. no worries about air quality or hot temperature. how about 80s? nice outside once the low clouds

break up. of course, the event ongoing 10:00 knew 6:00, next couple days. our own christina loren and mike inoue out there. they'll be out there later today. beautiful weather once the low clouds break up. a cool start to the morning. thanks to the healthy sea breeze, not only are we seeing drizzle and mist in a few spots, but also keeping the air well-stirred up and with the sea breeze reaching your inland valleys, air quality still good. if your outdoor plans include sunshine, you probably want to stay towards the inland valleys. here is a satellite loop of the low cloud cover punched inland overnight and we will see low clouds as we head towards the afternoon. in terms of the sierra, a slight risk of afternoon showers, mainly north of lake tahoe as instability fires up for the afternoon. temperatures should be comfortably into the low 80s. speaking of low 80s, some places around the bay area should see those numbers in the 80s, as well. south of san jose, we're talking 88 degrees for morgan hill.

86 for san jose and fremont. 82 degrees, san front. though staying fairly cool, 65 degrees with patchy low clouds around the east bay. those numbers close to 70 around oakland and mid 80s inland as you get over to concord and fairfield. for the north bay, nice start to the weekend with the highs in the 70s and 80s. the seven-day forecast for this time of year is actually still pretty mild. we will have a chance of getting some 90s in our inland valleys probably as we get back to the start of the workweek. but overall, things look great, especially if you're heading out to the fremont festival of the arts this weekend. that's a look at your seven-day forecast. now back to you. >> that festival starts this morning at 10:00. also runs through tomorrow. okay, you have seen that famous black and white photograph featuring a sailor kissing a young nurse on vj day, sealing the end of world war ii with a kiss. well, it was a picture-perfect moment. but is your mwua as memorable as

theirs? put your lips to the test in the "so you think you can kiss" contest. bring your kissy pooh to puni fisherman's wharf today. it's sponsored by the uss jeremiah o'brien in honor of the 1945 times square kiss. judges will award prizes to smoochers who come closest to reenacting the locking lips of the famous couple. head over to pier 45 and pucker up. i guess i need to find a kissy-poo first. cirque du soleil performers are known around the world for awe-inspired art industry. what can they tell us about keeping in shape? we went backstage to find out. ♪ >> reporter: the show is all about insects. and as you would expect, the crickets are champion jumpers, tackling an 18-foot wall in

performance and in rehearsal six days a week. >> the show itself is a really, really good workout. >> reporter: martin says that's number one. working out consistently. he started trampoline as a young boy in switzerland and today -- >> we're still -- we're still kids on the trampoline. it's pretty fun to do. >> reporter: but fun isn't all they have. in fact, head coach eric hennel says there is one ability every performer has to possess. >> flexibility is kind of the base any acrobatics. if you have no flexibility, there's so many skills that you cannot even try. >> reporter: and then there are acrobats who are born with an incredible sense of balance. >> we all balance on our feet. we're balancing on our feet all day long. for them, their hands become almost as comfortable as we are on our feet. >> reporter: for others, strength is crucial. >> the catchers are doing -- have really strong bodies, because they have to catch people. so they need to work out like

more frequently than we do. >> reporter: and imagine doing this at full-speed. training to be a cricket requires endurance. >> your heartbeat goes really fast suddenly. it's a big rush. when you're performing here, you have to perform much longer. so for sure you need to have a really, really good heart rate. >> human crickets. okay. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, what's driving some special cars to the peninsula today. good morning, i'm mike inoue, and there's lots to do in the in the bay. today in 1945 we dropped the bomb in here owe sheem, japan. but today, 66 years later, at berkeley's aquatic park, you can sit side by side with others and make peace lanterns ask set them afloat in a formal ceremony and share a commitment to a better future for all. again, berkeley aquatic park.

now, across the bay, the world-famous san francisco zoo celebrates the little people. fischer price little people. these guys. now bring your little ones over for this special weekend with power wheels, dora the explorer and the little people live musical show. it's all included in your zoo admission. and i hear they even have animals at the zoo. what am i doing? pretty much the same thing i did last year this time at the fremont festival of the arts. but this time meteorologist christi christina loren will be with me west of the mississippi. i'll be getting good food and cool treasures and giving away great stuff, too, as i host meal or no meal at the poavilion. come out. it's more of a thrill for me than you. so just humor me. that's what's going oay tn iod the bay. you have yourself a great one.

we're about two hours away from the start of the fremont festival of the arts. that's what you're looking at here, a live shot as people get ready for that this morning. it all gets under way at 10:00. the best thing approximabout th festival, it is free for everybody. well, there are a couple important bay area road closures to be aware of this weekend, and next weekend. highway 101 in belmont will be closed during the overnight hours for several days beginning monday so crews can paint a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the freeway. the northbound lanes of 101 between ralston avenue and hillsdale boulevard will be closed monday through thursday between 12:30 and 4:00 a.m. then the southbound lanes will be shut down in the same area between august 15th and 18th between the hours of 1:00 and 4:30 a.m. elca meano will be the way to go to get around this closure. and then since last night, a portion of mission boulevard and fremont's mission san jose neighborhood is closed between

stevenson boulevard and los palmos avenue. crews are repaving this weekend at the railroad overpass. the northbound lanes of mission will be used for two-way traffic during the southbound closure. cal tran says to expect delays in the area all weekend long. the closure remains in effect until 6:00 a.m. monday. well this morning a peninsula city will host an event for the alternative driver. chevy volt owners and electric vehicle theus enthusiasts will gather at the general motors advanced technology office. this is in palo alto happening today. members will share stories from the road and insight about what it's like driving an electric vehicle. there will also be an opportunity to test drive a chevy volt. the meeting will be held today at the general motors advanced technology office in palo alto from 10:00 until noon. much more ahead on "today in the bay." coming up, technology in reverse. the project that has people

lining up online to send instantn messages the old fashioned way. ♪

[ female announcer ] sweet honey taste. 80 calories per serving. 40% daily value of fiber. i'm here in the downtown area where the crowd is growing. [ female announcer ] watching calories at breakfast never tasted this sweet... i'll go get my bowl. [ female announcer ] ...or this huge. new fiber one 80 calories. yes, you can actually love breakfast.

do you snail mail? not many people do anymore. with e-mail and the internet, it seems putting pen to paper has become a lost art. well, a san francisco man has decided to bring it all back. ivan cash has launched a project called snail mail my e-mail.org. here's what it is. people can send him an e-mail up to 100 words and then a team of volunteers, you see these volunteers here, they will hand-write an actual letter and mail it to the recipient. since launching the project last month, cash and his team have mailed 2,500 letters across the globe. there's just something special about a hand-written note. no doubt about that. at 7:58, thanks for making us a part of your morning. we're going to have more local news for you.

and all day long at nbc bay area.com. have a great day, everybody.