i'm bob redell, live here in san jose. an overnight fire has destroyed a duplex. the latest live from the scene coming up. pg&e says customers should have to pay for its multi-billion dollar pipeline upgrade project. we'll also have the very latest on mitt romney taking over arizona. and now pg&e customers may have to pay for its multi-billion dollar pipeline upgrade project. how rate payers are responding coming up. taking a live look outside. the rain going to fall over the

bay area if it hasn't started already. it's leap day, february 29th. this is today in the bay. good morning, everyone. time now, 4:31. i'm jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning, guys. it is raining out there. let's get right to the radar this morning, lit up like a christmas tree. you can see we have heavy rain moving through the midsection of the bay area and we've got more on the way. we will pinpoint some of the heavier cells, tell you how long these rain showers will last. but first you've got to navigate through the rain just to get to work on time this morning. >> good morning. either the rain or the effects of rain will affect you this morning. look at golden gate bridge. you see the water on the lens. that's obviously affecting visibility. traction, slick roadways. light volume of traffic obviously here. but in spots throughout the bay

we have reports of minor flooding. we may see more as more cars hit the roadway around sir francis drake likely through 101. live look at the san mateo bridge, camera shaking. wind advisory issued by chp for the san mateo bridge as well as bay bridge. lower speeds because again when you talk about wet roadways, slick conditions, there will be a lot of spin-outs. we start out this morning with breaking news out of the south bay. >> firefighters at the scene of a huge fire in san jose. "today in the bay's" bob redell live there with the very latest. good morning, bob. >> reporter: good morning, laura and jon. a fire that unfortunately has destroyed a duplex here. you can see that the fire itself is knocked down. that knock-down took place in the last half-hour. right now san jose fire department is inside trying to knock down any hotspots, keeping an eye on anything in there making sure nothing flares back up. to give you a sense of how fast

this fire spread, the fire department tells us they arrived within seven minutes of the 911 call. as they pull up on the scene, you can see that this duplex was already fully involved. they called for a second alarm. fire captain tells us this morning two things made this fire very challenging and hard to o knock down without the duplex being destroyed. one, the shingles on the top of the roof are shake. that's a wooden shingle that's very flammable. two, the weather. it is very windy. they say it was a wind-griffin fire so not only were they trying to knock this fire down but they sent units further downwind to make sure no embers or anything like that caught any other structures on fire. there were four adults inside this duplex, two in each unite. they all four got out okay. so did the next door neighbors whose home was also threatened by this fire. >> we was asleep in the bed right right next door an my

sister was pounding on the door to let us know the fire was next door. so thank god because i was sleeping right through it. and as you imagine, i just grabbed my kids an got pets and got out of the house and here we are. so everyone's safe. >> reporter: san jose fire was able to save the duplex next door where that lady lives. though she does believe there might be some smoke damage inside. live here in san jose, bob redell, "today in the bay." santa cruz investigators asking for your help to help find three people who kidnapped, robbed and tortured a man this weekend. the man in surveillance footage that was found and two other friends, including a woman, beat up the victim in a motel room at the santa cruz inn. the victim managed to escape and get help. suspects then took off in the victim's red nissan central.

if you know anything call the santa cruz county sheriff's department. a hell's angels gang member accused of killing a fellow angel is expected in court this morning. stephen ruiz was arrested at a fremont hotel saturday after months on the run. san jose police say he called steve townsend during last october's funeral for another club member. ruiz is expected to be arraigned on murder charges this afternoon. mitt romney clearing a big time hurdle in decision 2012. he did pull off a clean sweep in yesterday's primaries over rick santorum but it was very, very close. tracie potts shows us the results plus what's ahead for the candidates. >> reporter: a big victory for mitt romney in arizona and despite predictions that he could lose his home state, he beat rick santorum by three points in michigan. >> we didn't win by a lot but we won by enough and that's all that counts. >> i just congratulated him. good night. >> reporter: santorum conceded before networks called the race. zblefr one said well, just ignore, you have really no chance here.

an the people of michigan looked into the hearts of the candidates and all i have to say is -- i love you back. thank you. >> reporter: where did santorum go sglong. >> i think sometimes he gets bogged down in theology and he needs to talk more on economic issues. >> reporter: newt gingrich came in third in arizona an last in michigan. >> newt gingrich has got to find a place to get a foothold. georgia, his home state, is one place that's voting on super tuesday where he'll be favored but he needs to break beyond that if he's really going to be a credible force. >> reporter: ron paul got half gingrich's support in arizona and just 12% in michigan but says those aren't the numbers that count. >> guess what? we're still winning a lot of delegates and that's what counts. >> reporter: next up, super tuesday with ten states and more than 400 delegates up for grabs. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. 4:36 right now. american airline workers at sfo will go on strike today to protest job cuts.

amr, the parent company of american airlines, declared bankruptcy last year. company recently announced plans to elimb mate 13,000 jobs in american airlines. airline workers at 13 airports, including sfo, will stage protests this morning starting at 11:00 a.m. san jose seems to be backing away from a controversial plan to cut its police force. it all stems from analysis commissioned by the city. after analyzing the police and fire departments, ibp suggested ev -- ibm suggests more cuts. >> officers we had ten years ago because of the skyrocketing retirement costs so we can't afford to lose anymore. i don't want to lose anymore, but we can be more efishth and effective how we deploy our officers. >> the fact they would even entertain a report whose main premise is reducing our staffing by 300 or 400 more is ludicrous to me. >> the city auditor and city

manager are now reviewing the report. pg&e wants customers to pick up the tab for more than $2 billion in pipeline upgrades. the ""mercury news"" report the company plans to file its latest improvements this week. consumer groups want the company shareholders to pay for the upgrades. pg&e under the amount shareholders would pay to $360 million but that still leaves customers on the hook for the rest. the snow pack in the sierra not really that great but the state water watchers are not too worried. latest survey showing snow pack levels just 30% of the normal for this time of year. that is the lowest it's been since 1991. still the state says there is enough water left over from last season to get us through the summer without any water restrictions. that snow pack got a little bit of a boost overnight. drivers had to put on chains on

their tires. one local ski resort had to shut down its lifts due to the high winds but skiers and snowboarders at this point just happy to have a little fresh pack snow. more could be on the way. want to check the forecast. >> lot more on the way. good morning to you. we haven't even had the cold blast from this cold front just yet. once that moves through we're talking about snow levels potentially below 2,000 feet which means our local foothills could very likely get a dusting of snow. now this morning it is starting to ramp up in terms of your rainfall. right now we actually have some heavy periods of rain moving onshore in places like san francisco. we've got this red, yellow, orange. that's an area of very heavy rain coming down over the city. if you're headed toward the sunset district, bay view district, take it easy. overall we've had these showers over the past three hours an we are going to see the activity ramp up before it starts to wind down a little bit later on today. let's talk about your future

cast for today. we stop the clock at 9:00 a.m. getting a little bit of a break. if you need to get outdoors, take the trash out, do any sort of gardening, that's pretty much your only opportunity. as we head throughout the day today we'll continue to see intermittent showers on and off all day long. we stop the clock at 9:00 p.m. tonight. snow over mountain h hamilton. i'll let you know how much we're expecting and when we get a break from the rain and our warm-up starts. 4:40. i bet the drive is active. >> there is a lot of activity because of the wet roads and high winds. we are looking for reports of debris, maybe some trees down. right now i do have a couple of accidents to report in the east bay. northbound 238, as i approach the interchange with 880. we have an accident that's just off the lanes. consider the fast lane at least partially blocked heading toward

880. again you see the slowing, speeds below 50 where it is marked through the castro valley y and also through castro valley. westbound reports of an accident at castro valley boulevard and flooding either on the east or westbound side. likely both sides because the rain has come through the area there as well. slowing off the dublin interchange. again the rain probably playing with our sensors a bit here. we don't see that much slowing as far as volume or traffic goes. gusty winds throughout the east bay hills, coming over the water, san mateo and bay bridge. oakland, a live look, camera shaking here as well. slick roadways. 4:41 right now. new this morning, a top al qaeda official captured in egypt. all the details next. in the wake of the costa concordia disaster, u.s. lawmakers discuss cruise ship safety. who is expected to speak at today's hearing. and a woman finds herself in

a financial crisis after her bank declares she w . how this all happened coming up.

break news this morning in egypt where officials at the cairo airport say a senior al qaeda chief is now under arrest. egyptian officials so far not confirming or denying this arrest. the fbi had offered a $5 million reward for information leading

to the arrest. he is accused of playing a role in the 1998 bombings of the u.s. embassies in both tanzania and kenya. the teenager accused of shooting five students inside an ohio high school has made his first court appearance. investigators brought the 17-year-old suspect into juvenile court near cleveland for a detention hearing. the judge ordered the teen to remain behind bars for his own protection and the community. he is expected to be tried as an adult. three students have now died from wounds received in the monday morning shooting. prosecutors say the suspect chose his victims randomly. as the summer cruise season nears, question being raised in washington about the safety of cruise ships. a house transportation and infrastructure subcommittee will hear testimony from cruise line representatives. hearing comes after the tragic costa concordia accident off the coast of italy that killed 25 people. representatives from princess and norwegian cruise lines are

expected to testify. the secret is out -- almost. apple sending out invitations to the media for what appears to be an ipad related event in san francisco. this is the invitation. it has an image of the ipad with the date march 7th and it says we have something you really have to see and touch. although apple has not confirmed details, those familiar with these events say it is the announcement of apple's third generation ipad. tablet would have an improved display and faster processor and be about the same size as the ipad 2. ahead of the big announcement, apple is hitting a major milestone in the business world. for that we turn to courtney reagan live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning, courtney. >> reporter: good morning. apple does join a very exclusive club as the company tops $500 billion in market value. only five other companies have ever hit $500 billion. microsoft, intel, cisco, ge and exxon mobil.

it only took a little more than a month from and toll go from $4 had u7b billi $400 billion and $500 million. and sl worth more than microsoft and google combined. if apple were a country, it would be the world's 20th largest economy. unbelievable. at this point futures are slightly higher so the market is poised to continue gains after the dow finally managed to close above 13,000 for the first time since may of 2008. investors cheered a report showing consumer confidence at a 12-month high and oil prices falling helped us to get there. we'll get the final report on fourth quarter gdp which could show the u.s. economy grew a little less than previously thought. fed chairman ben bernanke testifies before congress this morning about the economy and interest rates. the dow closed up 23 points which means we'll open today at 13,005. the nasdaq adding 20 points to

2,986 which means we are getting closer to nasdaq 3,000 as well. some americans may have to wait a little longer to get their tax refunds. several online brokers, including charles schwab and share builder, have asked the irs for an extension beyond the traditional february 15th deadline to send out tax statements. one of the big reasons behind the delay -- a change in reporting requirements on capital gains involving stock sales. back to you. 4:48 right now. san jose film festival is off to a great start. because our owntina loren was there as emcee. look at all the people who showed up. dozens of film fans lined up outside the theater. after the next couple of weeks, dozens of films including a

documentary made by children in east palo alto will all be shown on screens throughout downtown san jose. always a fun event. were you out late? >> i was out late. good thing about cinequest the weather doesn't matter. if it is raining, great time to be a movie. if it is sunny, great time to see a movie. right now it is a great time to grab your umbrella as you walk out that front door. temperatures aren't that cold this morning but we've got a lot of rain coming down and that has been the case over the past three hours or so. right now the santa cruz mountains are getting hit pretty hard. if you do commute over 17, you want to give yourself plenty of time and travel cautiously over the hill because you will fine areas of mud and rocks on 17. take it easy out there. just about everywhere we've seen these steady conditions just rain streaming onshore for the past three hours or so so it is wet, we've got puddles, ponding. whenever we get rainfall this fast the rain doesn't really have anywhere to go.

take it easy out there. in addition to all that moisture coming down, slick conditions and winds as well, winds 15 to 30 miles per hour gusting to 40 at the coast. we're going to continue to see that as we head throughout the morning hours. front is now pushing onshore so it is at its most active. however once we dry out about 9:00 a.m. there is more on the way. we'll see spotty activity. it won't be as consistent. it will be lighter as well but continuously throughout the day today. we'll see these showers making for uncomfortable outdoor activities. make sure you just keep that umbrella with you throughout the day. as we continue, things clear up in the second half of thursday, nice dry break by friday when we wake up. should see some sthonowy peaks, even our local foothills expecting snow down to 1,000 feet. 40 in livermore and sunnyvale, only climbing by about five degrees with all the cold air in place throughout the day today. 55 degrees inland.

that's it for you. heading into tomorrow, a little bit warmer but we relly start to warm up this weekend -- up to 69 degrees with tons of sunshine this sunday. monday into tuesday we stay warm and sunny. so this storm is actually one of the more significant storms we've had all winter long. it is going to move out of here really quickly. we need the rain, maybe an inch in some cities. >> kind of a forecast for everyone. thanks. this one is kind of a wild story. a north bay woman literally trying to breathe some life back into her financial situation. >> it is because her bank declared she was dead and killed her good credit rating. after her loan application was rejected, pat goddard did some checking and found she had actually had no credit score because bank of america listed her as deceased. >> that's crazy. >> not only is she alive, she makes a monthly mortgage payment to -- none other than bank of america. to restore her credit the 58-year-old grandmother says she had to prove to the bank that

she was alive. >> i brought in a marriage certificate that showed that he and i were married. i brought in my birth certificate and the request of my husband's death certificate which was signed by the coroner. >> b of a says the bank is correcting the mistake. until then the widow hopes she does not have a financial emergency. >> you would think she could prove she was alive but just walking into the bank. >> hello. >> yeah, hi, i'm me. 4:52 right now. we have a better idea this morning of when construction will start on the new 49er stadium in santa clara coming up. the deadline the city has set for groundbreaking. plus a four-foot tall penguin? scientists say they found evidence of the super sized swimmers. that story coming up. yikes. looking over here, highway 24, traffic moving smoothly through the caldecott but reports of aintsoundl i show you wherey, those two reports divine coming up.

welcome back, everyone. we didn't hurricane the hose on. it's mother nature. the rain is coming down up at the summit by highway 17 this morning. can always and slippery commute up there. we'll keep our eye on that area. be careful as you head out the door. 4:55. >> coming down hard out there. construction on the 49ers' new stadium in santa clara will start by this summer. santa clara giving its final

approval last night to lease the land for the new 49er stadium. that agreement says construction on the billion dollar project must start within the next 120 days. the city's expected to reap about $40 million in rent over the 40-year lease. first kickoff slated for the 2014 season. looking forward to that. clean-up coming for a south bay property. an update to a story we first told you about last week. santa clara county supervisors declaring a home in east san jose a public nuance. the yard and home filled with anything, furniture, mechanical and garbage parts, mattresses out there, it is a junkyard. declaration clearing the way for caltrans crews to go on to property to legally start a clean-up. want to check the morning commute out there. it could be rough because of slick roadways. seeing any effects yet? >> we are. i can tell you one of the details in this report for

westbound 580 in castro valley i don't necessarily attribute to weather. according to chp report say a car hydroplaned on hit the center divide. a truck over 238 hit the guardrail. two accidents before that castro valley area. a live look at 880, glowing lights, slick roads, keep that in mind. rain or effects of the rain will affect you this morning on your commute. lower speeds, guys. scientists have made an unusual discovery in new zealand. >> they pieced together the skeletons of what eye pierce to be a long extinct giant penguin. experts from new zealand and the united states recon instructed the fossil skeleton revealing very long wings, a slender build a sphere-like bill. in research publish this week scientists say the bird stood

about 4'2", had a different body shape than any other penguin we know of living or extinct. bird lived about6 million o.arag >> lot more coming up. stick around.