>> an avalanche kill as skier in the sierra. the warning officials are sending out this morning. >> a prominent journalist returns to his bay area home to talk about illegal immigration. why it's something he's experienced first-hand. >> and we're hours away from another dotcom getting ready to go public, yelp with an initial stock price higher than expected. i'll take you live to san francisco coming up. >> we'll take you live out there with a live look at the golden gate bridge for friday, march 2nd, this is "today in the bay."

>> good morning to you. it's 4:30. i'm marla tellez in for jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. lots to get to this morning. let's check that forecast with meteorologist christina loren. good morning. >> good morning. you made it to the weekend, ladies. we have a gorgeous weekend shaping up. plenty of options for you to get outdoors and enjoy the gorgeous weather we have for you. as we wake up this morning it's cold out there so make sure you grab your jacket. something that will keep you warm. temperatures in the 30s. more rain in the forecast, after that warm-up we'll talk about that. first out the door with mike. >> we're going to take you out to some road work, has closed 101 in the south bound direction between old mill field and ranksdorf, that's going to affect the palo alto area. both embarcadero and oregon expressway have off ramps closed from the southbound and northbound for the embarcadero road exit so watch through the area. we have a number of spots where

you'll see flashing lights. that will change as we hope old middlefield will open. >> this morning just as the weekend arrives the high avalanche warning is issued for the sierra after a skier was killed in lake tahoe. >> the man was in an out of bounds area near stanford rock near the alpine meadows ski resort. rescuers say three men triggered the slide. >> one was caught in the slide right from the git-go and taken down the mountain quite a ways, probably 300 feet down. he was all messed up. he was pretty wrapped around a tree. quite a few broken limbs. >> one of the skier was taken to the hospital in truckee where he died from injuries. the other two men escaped unharmed. >> the domestic abuse case against sheriff ross mirkarimi moves forward this morning with another key ruling expected. a closed door hearing will be

held with mirkarimi's ex-girlfriend christina flores. the judge will decide if she can testify for the prosecution. flores filed a police report last month claiming mirkarimi abused her when they dated four years ago. no charges will be filed in that case because of the statute of limitations. jury selection is expected to resume monday. >> fines and citation after a deadly accident. 56-year-old adrian martin was killed when a pressurized cylinder exploded at membrane technology and research in menlo park. pressure in the cylinder reached triple the level it could contain. the lab is facing $55,000 in penalties and seven citations including improper labeling and ined adequate worker training. >> the bay area's yelp is going public this morning with shares priced higher than expected. bob is live at yelp headquarters in san francisco. a strong debut for a company yet

to turn a profit. >> reporter: good morning to you. you can expect a lot of happy employees here at yelp headquarters in downtown san francisco, especially those with stock options as their company gets ready to go public. the stock for this website that lets users post reviews will be priced at $15 a share when it starts trading on the new york stock exchange initially people were expecting it to be in the $12-14 range. that would raise the company over $120 million before expenses, and would give yelp a valuation of almost $1 billion. $900 million to be exact. that's too high according to an analyst with morning star. here's why he thinks. as you mentioned the company has not turned a profit since its founding in 2004. last year alone it lost almost $17 million. but the company which depends on advertising did show growth. it brought in almost $84 million

last year, that was an increase of almost 75% from the year before. another analyst does expect yelp stock to do well in the short-term because the people who will be buying initially are users. in addition of course to the investors. these are people who believe in the website but aren't necessarily aware of or have an understanding of the company's financials. so again, this one analyst expecting the stock to do well in the short-term. does have concerns about its viability over the long term. bob redell, "today in the bay." >> 4:35 now. supporters of gay marriage say an effort to have the prop 8 case reheard by the entire ninth circuit court is unnecessary. last month a three-judge panel ruled the voter approved ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. but prop eight supporters appeal asking for a rehearing with 11 judges. the ninth circuit can reject that request. opponents say the appeal will lead to delays and efforts to

have the u.s. supreme court hear the case. >> the original awe thers of california's death penalty law want to get rid of it. they collected enough signatures to get a proposition on the november ballot. if passed it would replace california's death sentence with life in prison and it would immediately apply to the 700 people now on death row. the authors say the death penalty has become inefficient and too expensive. abolishing it would save the state almost $200 million a year. >> experts have announced a final $32 million plan to restore the bay after the oil spill. six federal and state agencies worked together to finalize the plan. funding comes from a $44 million settlement with the owner of the oil tanker that crashed into the bay bridge back in 2007. the ship spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into the bay, killing birds and fish, and closing local beaches. >> a san jose softball league needs help to get its season started after falling victim to

copper thieves. first told you about the softball league in january when someone stole all of the copper wiring from the lights on the field. after the story aired donations came in from the community. the team says they have been able to get most of the wire replaced but need about 300 feet more to finish the job. they are holding a fundraising dinner and raffle at the moose lodge on mount pleasant road. >> one of the most notable journalists returns to the bay area to speak about immigration. jose vargas was 12 when he moved from the philippines to live with his grandparents in mountain view. when he tried to get a driver's license he learned he was here illegally. now he is a journalist at "the washington post." he says his story is part of the larger immigration debate. >> you know, illegal immigration is not just about americans like me without papers. it's also about american citizens of all backgrounds who

just -- who know just how broken and unfair the system is. >> vargas describes his current immigration status as in limbo. you can watch the full interview sunday, 3:00 in the afternoon on our weekly talk show about education, that's class action with jessica aguirre. >> we'll check the forecast and talking about the weekend. it's upon us. >> it is. and it could be one for the record books, the first weekend of march. good morning to you. you made it to friday and yes, you'll have many options to get outdoors as you have that time off this weekend. last weekend we had a couple of showers. this weekend, we'll see sunshine, 70s, and temperatures near record. as you can see, 39 degrees in santa rosa, 36 in napa and we're at 43 degrees in fairfield. as you continue through the next couple of hours you'll drop off. you're going to jump back up, a rebound on the way, climbing

into the 60s. by about 1:00 p.m., 64 degrees in fairfield. so basically that means we're going to reach the highs we had yesterday by 11 today so. you can go ahead and put those short sleeves under that heavy winter coat this morning. you'll need that. but you can take it off by noon. high pressure moves in and it's building in quickly. for us, that means temperatures are going to climb by about 10 degrees from yesterday's highs, then tomorrow additional 5. the difference between yesterday and sunday, a 20-degree jump. so you'll notice that difference. i'll have the seven-day forecast, we'll spell it out that way coming up. first, we don't want problems on a friday morning, mike. what's out there? >> you don't. so far we don't have much going on but this new incident is an accident on 580 in the commute direction. so a light volume of traffic right now. sounds like most of the cars, three of them, off to the shoulder. there may be one that is clearing from the lanes so watch as you approach that freeway westbound 580. warren freeway being highway 13. an easy drive so far because of

that. we'll track that one. we've got construction, northbound 680, al costa, the off ramp is closed in the middle. at the top rudger. 680 blocked from time to time but we're looking at a smooth drive because of a light volume. then heading out of the area, into the area not a problem. out 580 eastbound this afternoon starting about 2:00 or 3:00 we may see things get slow out of livermore into tracy. a lot of folks use 590 over to 8 to get to the sierra as we're talking about a lot of snow hit there. no chain requirements but i suggest you bring them. christina's forecast doesn't call for it but you never know when you come across ice on the roadway. back to you. >> always good to have them in the trunk. >> if you are waking up with a frown on your face in san francisco listen up. >> new survey shows the city by the bay is the third happiest city in the country. the rankings in the daily beast are based on the unemployment rate, income and the number of

sunny days per year. san francisco isn't the only on the list. san jose came in at number 4. boulder, colorado second, and the happiest city in the nation, all of those politicians must love it in washington, d.c. >> that's surprising, actually. >> gas prices keep going up and giving more fuel for candidates on the campaign trail. coming up, why republicans are lashing out at president obama. >> can't afford an ipad? that could change. why the company might be keeping the ipad 2 on the market for a lower price. >> what kind of germs are on your cell phone? would you believe it's dirtier than your toilet? i hope not. the results of a new study. coming up. >> for all of your news, weather, traffic. check us out on facebook.

>> good morning everybody. welcome back. here is a live look at hp pavilion near downtown san jose. shaping up to be a good looking friday. time now 4:44. >> gas prices certainly dominating the presidential campaign in the run-up to super tuesday. pump prices average almost $3.75 nation wide and it's well above $4 here in the bay area. president obama says the u.s. is producing more oil now than when he took office but republicans say he cannot take credit for

that. >> those decisions were made by his predecessor, he's cut in half the number of leases on federal lands. >> this again is the i think deliberate dishonesty of president obama. >> republicans say they will bring gas back down to $2 a gallon with more drilling in the u.s. the high price of gas these days has a lot of us looking to improve mileage. the first thing you should -- the first change is drive more efficiently. >> stop rapid acceleration, aggressive braking, particularly high speed lane changes are very destructive to fuel economy. >> check your tire pressure as well. underinflated tires can hurt mileage. plan and combined errands so you don't have to make multiple trips around town. if you can avoid gas stations close to freeway interchanges. if you drive a few blocks you'll probably find cheaper gas. >> bank of america is toying

with the idea of new fees. it's testing pilot programs in other states that charge customers a monthly checking account fee unless they bank online, use a bank of america credit card, or maintain certain balances. the fees could range between $6 and $25. last year the bank tried a $5 debit card fee. that was scratched after major backlash. >> let's get a check on the markets. for that we turn to jackie deangelis. good morning. >> good morning. futures are lower. investors may have reconsider what had they did or didn't hear from ben bernanke about whether the fed is considering further steps to help boost the economy. oil spiked above $110 a barrel. the saudis leader said a report was false. traders did react to data on unemployment and strong february

retail and auto sales. the asian markets were flat over excuse me higher overnight. the european markets flat. the nasdaq up 22 points to 2988. when apple launches a new ipad 3 next week it plans to sell a cheaper ipad 2. the reports say the move will combat and take market share away from cheaper tablets. you may remember when it lawned the 4,s making the iphone 3 gs 3 with a 2-year contract. at&t is ending its unlimited data plans for smart phone users saying it will slow download speeds for people who exceed three gigabytes per month equal to about 10 hours of hd video. the cap for the network is 5 gigabytes and the move is in response to complaints by customers with unlimited plans who say their speeds were being kapd after they used only 2 gigabytes of data. marla, back over to you.

>> we depend on our cell phones. okay. thank you so much. >> you want to check the forecast. check our current conditions with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning. it's friday. hope you're off to a good start as you get ready to kick off the weekend. we'll see gorgeous weather this weekend. but it is cold out there so grab your jacket. one thing that is much better, a lot of improvement, we have dried out your roadways, a lot of rain yesterday morning making for a rough commute. we don't have fog to report at this point but because we have the moisture and high pressure building in, compressing the moisture that we did pick up we could see some of the fog as we head throughout the morning hours. the wind is still keeping our atmosphere mixed. we're not seeing the the fog yet. wind at 5 miles per hour in fairfield. out of the west in novato at 3 miles per hour. enough to keep the fog from settling in but we lose the wind, boom, we lose visibility as well. 59 at noon in concard. at noon our temperatures are going to surpass where we ended

up yesterday in the heat of the day. we'll be at 64 degrees by 4:00 in san jose, 66 in santa rosa and we keep on climbing as high pressure builds in. small ridge of high pressure. and this ridge has a lot of energy. so much so that it's going to boost your temperatures into the 70s, as of tomorrow and by sunday we're talking about record breaking warmth here in the bay area. after that cold front came through. that's an indication of how strong that ridge is. by monday a few clouds, a few showers on tuesday, but we're going to warm you back up as we head through the first full week of march. back to you ladies. >> thank you very much. what kind of germs do you think are on your cell phone? scientists conducted a study to find out. >> london school of hygiene found one in six cell phones had traces of fecal matter. 18 times more bacteria on it than the flush handle on a toilet seat. >> happy texting there. >> not too reassuring. there are things they say you can do to avoid getting sick,

when your friend may be showing awe text or a photo on their phone, look but don't touch. and another tip is wipe that phone down at least once a day with anti-bacterial wipes. there are special wipes you can buy specifically for electronics. >> 4:50. one of the hotly debated issues, now a group of hollywood actors turning the prop 8 controversy into a play. where you can watch it. >> plus, the circus is coming to town. opening night in south bay for cirque du soleil's latest show. we'll have a preview up next. >> we have a nice drive for 24 heading through the caldecott tunnel no. problems there but construction, that's on the move. we'll show you where it's slow coming up. rh

>> welcome back everyone. a good friday morning to you. what a beautiful look. embarcadero in san francisco, looking forward to the weekend. it's 4:53. >> it has made headlines since 2008. prop 8 is becoming an online play. >> the first time ever we are live streaming an amazing new

play called eight. it's about marriage equality and the proposition eight trial. >> i'm sure you know who that is, that's rob reiner who is directing prop eight the play. brad pitt, george clooney, jane lynch will star in it. and here's the kicker. it's free. youtube will stream it live online. that was not the right video. >> the tent is up, let the freakish acrobats begin. cirque du soleil's latest production opens tonight in san jose. we had a glimpse of some of the performers practicing. it's a show that follows the journey of the human species to the ultimate desire to fly. the show has traveled to four countries. cirque du soleil will be at the taylor street. >> today is a big day at schools

all over the country. it's reading across america day t national education association started the tradition as a way to promote a love for reading in a child's life. they appropriately chose to hold it on march 2, the birthday of children's author dr. seuss. several special readings will be held at schools all over the bay area. reading to students at g. baker elementary school in san jose so get up and get ready because i'm coming. >> 4:55. let's check the commute. >> that's perfect because you're used to reading to large groups of kids. >> very large. >> the south bay, so far things are moving smoothly but then highway 87 shows in the middle of the screen the yellow, you can barely make it out but there is a stream there. circumstance circumstance off of the taylor street bridge. that tent is quite distracting but you know it's there.

now you know. we're looking at construction northbound, old middlefield, that is reopening and we have the embarcadero and the oregon expressway off ramps closed there from the northbound side. that's until possibly 6:00 a.m. for the embarcadero off ramp. approaching the bay bridge, no problem. the westbound upper deck does have construction crews that should be clearing. no slowing approaching the area. and 880 past the coliseum, a live look shows you an easy drive now. much drier and much more pleasant than yesterday. we have damp roadways and there may be a puddle or two. keep that in mind so the sun can have a chance to dry everything out. >> thanks so much, mike. a connecticut couple celebrating their 60th anniversary returning to the same hotel they spent their wedding night, the waldorf astoria. >> in honor the hotel is charging the couple the same price they paid back in 1952. >> the waldorf was kind of elegant, and we thought hey, it's our wedding night, let's go

and -- in first class. >> the first class tab on that night -- $16.80. with another 30 cents for a phone call. the rooms now are about $300 a night. since, izzy and joan are celebrating their 60th anniversary the hotel is giving them a discount as an anniversary gift. >> that's great. they aged well. >> a happy marriage. wonderful. >> still ahead, a south bay war memorial hit by vandals is now all fixed up and ready for rededication. what it took to make repairs. >> and for all of your news, weather, traffic check us out on ce bo

>> new this morning we're learning more about what happened in the minutes leading up to the murder at a hell's angel funeral. >> i'm damian trujillo live in san jo