>> new this morning, fallout from a shooting rampage that killed 16 civilians in afghanistan. why officials in washington say this could ruin the already tense relationship for good. >> reporter: i'm stephanie chuang where a big check will be cut in a few hours bringing b.a.r.t. closer to the south bay. >> also taxing landlords to keep rent prices low. >> a live look outside at the bay bridge in san francisco. gorgeous shot on this monday, march 12th, this is "today in the bay."

>> good monday morning. the time now is almost 4:31. i'm jon kelley. >> i'm marla tellez in for laura garcia-cannon. a lot to get to this morning. first let's check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. good morning. >> good morning to you. new week, new forecast. it's cold out there but not all that cold. temperatures are running in the 40s, but we don't have any freezing temperatures just yet. livermore at 36 degrees, as we head throughout the morning we're going to drop off. we'll hold off on the showers but we have a lot of rain headed toward the bay area. lots to talk about. he's back. let's check your drive with mike inouye. >> thank you for covering on friday, christina. well done. it's cold outside so we have a fire but it's a van on fire reported at sharp park road off of highway 1. we're just getting word in so no reports of injuries.

likely this happened as a result of some activity overnight which often when we have this report there's no one to be found around the scene. we'll give you the update. highway 1 is open. back to you. >> mike, thanks. afghanistan's president called it an act of terrorism that will never be forgotten. a u.s. soldier shooting and killing 16 afghan civilians. >> reaction is pouring in. tracie potts has the latest fallout from washington. >> reporter: afghanistan's president called it terrorism, a u.s. soldier shot and killed nine children, three women and four men, 500 yards from a u.s. military base in southern afghanistan. he's in custody. >> these incidents and in particular the short distance between the incidents that we've seen in the recent weeks are a burden and are of concern for us. >> nato is sitting on a tinder box and this could be the spark

that unravels our presence in afghanistan. >> reporter: president obama called president karzai to apologize. karzai called it an intentional act that will never be forgotten. one month after accidental burnings of the koran sparked deadly protests. >> unfortunately these things happen in war. you have an israeli soldier killed soldiers. you have to push through these. >> reporter: lawmakers say this latest incident underscores why we need to get out. >> we're moving out as the president said and i think that's the right thing to do. >> reporter: tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> we can tell you there aren't many details about the shooter. he served three you tours in iraq, this was his first in afghanistan. the u.s. embassy is warning americans to avoid large gatheri

gatherings. >> closer to home a new tactic to keep video evidence out of the domestic abuse trial of san francisco sheriff ross mirkarimi. attorneys for mirkarimi will argue the video would violate his rights because the defense won't be able to cross-examine his own wife about the video. it shows mirkarimi's wife with a bruise on her arm. two other attempts to exclude the evidence have been denied. jury selection resumes today. >> closing arguments will begin in the murder retrial of the man accused of killing tracy. the 2001 conviction was overturned for misconduct by the prosecution. ali has admitted killing her during a violent argument but his attorneys say it was an unplanned crime of passion. the woman was a daughter of raiders receiver. >> teams could be out searching for a former marine who

disappeared 10 days ago. joseph mchenry told friends he was going camping and rock climbing near pacifica. his car was found wednesday near the sharp park golf course. some of his climbing and camping gear was discovered on thursday but investigators are not saying what was found or where. searchers from the san mateo sheriff's department scoured the beaches and the cliffs but turned up nothing new. >> it has been decades in the making, now plans to bring b.a.r.t. to san jose will soon be finalized. stephanie chuang joins us live from san jose with an update including a ceremony in city hall today. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, marla. we're talking about the biggest check ever made to the valley transportation authority for a project, a $100 million check will be cut here at city hall in a few hours. this out of a $900 million commitment from the federal transit authority. construction crews have begun

work on the first phase of the extension project. the 10-mile stretch from fremont to north san jose two stations planned. congressman mike honda fought for this funding and calls it a big win. >> this is a dream that the residents of the valley had put here and they voted twice for the -- to make this thing happen, and they put their faith in it so it should be as we say, they should be getting return on their investment. >> reporter: the project cost about $2.3 billion funded by federal and state funds with about $1.2 billion coming from local money. the total extension project will add six miles through downtown san jose and end in santa clara. it's expected to add 1600 jobs to the area, so a lot of

excitement. the check cutting will be at 10:00 this morning. live at san jose city hall, stephanie chuang, "today in the bay." >> 4:36 now. san francisco residents hoping a proposed high rent tax will control the housing costs. the "san francisco examiner" reporting tenant advocates working on this idea which is still in its preliminary stages. it would require land owners to pay a tax on rental income if the rent exceeds a certain amount. the san francisco tenants union may attempt to put it on the november ballot to help keep rental rates under control. >> a group of animal rights activists picking a fight with a restaurant. volunteers with the rescue league upset prospect restaurant is still serve iing a legal i k is the fattened liver of a duck.

activists want the chef to take it off the menu now. >> they are saying in the last few months they have until the ban takes effect that they come up with a more humane alternative. that cannot be done. the way that the duck is treated, there is no way to force an animal to be fed humanely. >> the group says 100 restaurants in the bay area are still dishing up the dish. >> good morning. did you have a nice weekend? pretty good weather. >> not bad. >> check the forecast with meteorologist christina loren. >> welcome back, mr. jon kelley. we sure missed you. we're looking good this morning. it's on the cold side out there and we told you last week about this rainy pattern that will be developing as we head through this week. well, it's on the way. but it looks like today we're going to hold off on showers. at least until tonight we could see a stray shower in the north bay. the greater bay area. looking partly cloudy for today. 39 in concord, at 37 this morning in fairfield.

and one of our coldest cities napa at 35 degrees. throughout the day you'll see a mix of sun and clouds. by 4:00 p.m., starting to see the storm clouds roll in. we're expecting a lot of rain. potentially two inches up in the north bay. so yeah, that wet pattern we've been waiting for all winter is finally going to arrive as we head through the last week of winter. storm this is week and of course st. patrick's day this saturday. the forecast coming up. i can tell you, y might need your green umbrella. we'll get to the forecast. let's get to your drive. >> i want to know if there's going to be green rain. looking here to the roadways, we have a disabled vehicle. let's take a live look with our coliseum camera. the headlights coming northbound toward the coliseum. around 98, that's the upper right part of the screen. we have reports of a disabled vehicle. we scanned and we don't see lanes blocked. this may be affecting the off ramp if the car made it off the

roadway, sounds like it did. sound likes the off ramp is clear. we'll continue to follow this to make sure. the maps don't show major slowing either. 580 away from the bridge we have a debris report. wood in lanes and there may be crews heading out this. no problems to the rest of the south bay, but an accident off the freeway. city streets in saratoga. that's the car fire we're following at sharp park. last i third crews taking over and chp is not too concerned. >> more people are visiting california's national parks and that's good news for the economy. the national park service says visits to places like the golden gate national recreation area and fort point are up this year. park service officials say good weather and the improving economy helped drive the rise in visits. one area had 14.5 million visitors. if the numbers stay on track

this could be one of the busiest years the bay has seen. >> all is good vibrations out there. it's 4:40. still ahead, a potential disaster averted. police arresting a college student in maryland after he posted unsettling messages on line. we'll let you know what he threatened to do. >> one year later, japan remembers the deadly earthquake and tsunami, bay area residents continue to reach out. >> gas prices looking higher again this week. experts say relief, yes, could be on the horizon. we'll explain. >> for all of your news, weather, and traffic updates and to welcome back jon kelley check out bay area news.

>> good morning to you. welcome back. it is a live look at hp pavilion, downtown san jose. your time is 4:44. >> university of maryland student under arrest accused of posting an internet message claiming he was planning a shooting rampage at the school. police arresting 19-year-old alex song sunday night after he allegedly posted several threats. authorities allege song threatened to, quote, kill enough people to make national news. investigators have not said if song had weapons but they are still taking the threat seriously. >> a hearing scheduled for today in the case of former penn state

assistant football coach jerry sandusky. he remains on home confinement in pennsylvania while he awaits his trial on 52 criminal counts of child sex abuse. an attorney for sandusky says his client will not attend the hearing. >> time to check the markets. jackie is live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning. >> good morning to you. the futures are mixed as the markets come off a mostly positive week, the nasdaq and s&p 500 extending the win streak to four weeks. of course relief over greece and its debt crisis. it's a busy week with reports on retail sales, consumer sentiment, quiet with the federal budget statement out this afternoon. the fed is going to meet tomorrow but expected to leave interest rates at historic lows, the dow rising 14 on friday to close at 12,922, the nasdaq up

17 to close at 2988. prices at the pump continue to rise, the latest survey showing that regular unleaded rose 12 cents the past few weeks to a national average of $3.81 a gallon. reflecting higher crude oil prices. in the bay area it's quite a bit higher, $4.41. analysts think if mideast tensions don't ratchet up. if you preordered the new ipad you may have to wait longer to start filling with it your favorite apps. apple delayed the shipping date 70

a day that we have ahead. looks like it's nice in >> today looks like the best of the week. we have a lot of rain in the forecast starting tomorrow. all the way through the upcoming weekend. we're talking about potentially measuring that rain in inches. not only one storm but a series of storms on the way to the bay area. and that is not only going to bring your temperatures back into the 50s as highs, we're also going to see cold conditions, blustery winds and a taste of winter that we haven't had for that much time. 46 degrees in san francisco. 45 in novato.

37 in santa rosa. so we haven't had a stretch like this of active weather basically all winter long. look at what's lining up. storms marching up in the pacific. the pineapple express that we talk about, that is on the way. as we head throughout this week we've got a lot of rain. now, looks like the systems are warm so we're not expecting a lot of snow at the lower elevations, but potentially picking up feet of snow above 6,000 feet. so we set the future cast in motion for you. stop the clock at 9:00 p.m. continue that through tomorrow morning, we'll meet back here, we're talking about moderate rainfall coming down, not only in the north bay but the front sliding to the south throughout your morning commute. so it could be a rough drive tomorrow. overall this morning looking pretty good. the highs today will be comfortable. 61 in pleasanton, 61 in ever green and 59 in san francisco. three-day forecast, things start to change tomorrow. the winds pick up, we get showers on wednesday.

thursday, friday, and then saturday into sunday not only is it going to be cold, we get this area of low pressure, kicks up a lot of instability. we'll talk more about that, when the pattern will let up, and of course how much rain we expect in your city. that's coming up. back to you guys. >> thank you very much. it was an extremely emotional weekend as japan paused to remember the earthquake and tsunami that rocked the country one year ago. sirens marking the moment the earthquake that hit one year ago on sunday. japan's emperor paying tribute to the victims saying they will never forget. people also offering silent prayers at memorial services where the aftermath of the earthquake led to the world's worst nuclear disaster in 25 years. one year after that crisis a california environmental group

urging governor brown to start phasing out the state's two nuclear power plants. the center says diablo canyon and san alpha ray should both be shut down at the end of their current licenses. both expire by 2024. the group says the closures would prevent further disasters and shift the sight renewable resources. >> the images of the destruction shocked the world. for those who survived the healing does not come easily. >> there is a term that means just sort of suck it up and endure and you don't complain and i think what we're seeing is a lot of stress and mental health problems coming out of that. >> the san francisco bay's japanese center of northern california raised more than $4 million in donations to help survivors. many are dealing with psychological problems like post traumatic stress disorder.

it still receives donations. the city of palo alto remembered the japanese tsunami with a special gift. city leaders plant add cherry blossom tree. the government of japan gave palo alto the tree as a thank you after the earthquake. that city raised more than $16,000 in relief funds to help with recovery. palo alto has close ties to japan through its neighbors abroad organization which aims to promote international friendship. >> 4:51. i know you are a b-ball fan. have you filed your bracket? >> i have not. i'm late. >> march madness is on. how our bay area teams fared on selection sunday. >> and then if you notice yourself less than productive at work, why it has something to do with time change. >> here we are, commuting in the morning. an hour earlier than we thought

last week. 580 movesni a couple things going on even as we speak. ou

>> welcome back. it's 5:54. actually only 4:54. that hour change messing me up. march madness kicks off this week. selection sunday delivering good news for the st. mary's gaels. they find out who they face in the tournament.

the team gets a number 7 seed, first up tenth ranked purdue on friday. this marks their second march madness appearance in three years. after ending up the regular season on that bubble the cal bears learning, too, they get a shot at the big dance. >> a lot of these guys are real excited and just happy to be in, happy to get the chance to play more games. >> play more games in what some call that playing game, others call it the official first round of 68. the bears will take on south florida wednesday in dayton, ohio, go bears. >> bring out the cookies, girl scout celebrates its 100th birthday. scouts across california will celebrate with local and state leaders and sacramento the state senate and assembly will present the girl scouts with a joint proclamation. in cupertino the mayor will present the girl scouts with a proclamation from that city.

to celebrate the program's legacy a shout out will goo out to all girl scouts past and present. >> i love it every time i see those stands where i can find them. >> you buy them. >> i load up. they are happy to see me. we're always happy to see mike inouye probably go, hmm. >> thin mints. tagalongs. a shout out to service unit 630 covering a lot of the areas that i just had events for so thank you for giving us that as well. looking to the peninsula, highway 1, sharp park is where we had the report of the earlier van fire. well, chp says it's not an issue as far as they are concerned. so traffic is okay through the area. you may find a fire crew on scene while they take care of the fire. no reports of injuries. someone called it in and presumably it's a driver or someone who saw it. may be an abandoned van. we see that this time of morning. north for highway 101 and san rafael. traveling south around the curve

we have a smooth drive. may be rain later on. so far it's okay. >> thanks. >> it's 4:56 now. it's as much a tradition as daylight savings time, oversleeping. >> you might call it cyber loafing monday. many workers will log on and check out. tech media sites study looked at six years of google data. it found the hours of lost sleep sends workers to the web where they spend more time browsing on entertainment sites. when we're tired we have less self control or maybe we're snoozing while we're surfing. >> i'll always stick up for extra sleep. it's 4:57. still ahead, preparing for disaster. one year after japan's devastating tsunami a bay area county points out places at risk of a sim har disaster. find out where they are.