new this morning, teachers teaming up to fight for school funding. what they are asking voters to do coming up. and french authorities turning to the internet and their search for gunmen in yesterday's deadly school shooting. and we're live here where the transportation officials just flipped the switch on the south bay's first ever express tollway. that story coming up. >> somebody get that man some tea. as we take a live look outside at the golden gate bridge. it's tuesday, first day of spring, march 20th. this is "today in the bay." >> from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> thanks so much for joining us, 5:00 right now. >> good tuesday morning, i'm john kelly. we check in with rob mayeda and it's the first day of spring and officially feels like it. not too bad coming in.

>> temperatures in the 40s and 50s outside right now, so you don't need the winter coat, just the light jacket we were saying this morning and by the afternoon, things warming up around the mid-50s. here's the other part of the good news story, the light rain we're expecting around the north bay for the most part has held off. we do have a little bit of light rain on the north coast spilling our way south. but this is the great news for your morning commute, no green on my maps means, mike, you should be seeing green on your maps. >> rob, we are looking all right. first i'll show you the white and red. these are the headlights and taillights. 680 south of express lane. we'll catch up with folks as they head south from here into the south bay. the maps will show you traffic's moving smoothly. smooth drive in the northbound directions with no problems for the roadway. we do have this big red arrow. bob was sick yesterday but had

to come back today. you're covering a new express lane for the south bay, what's going on? >> reporter: good morning out there. the south bay's first ever express toll lane went into operation literally a couple of minutes ago. and this is between dixon landing and 880 and north 1st street and 237 for people making the commute between milpedas and mountain view. toll lanes have been in operation for some time now. it lets you if you're a solo driver be able to pay to use the car pool lane. and it's congestion-based pricing that's posted on electronic signs above the express lane entrances. we've got brandy here with the vta. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> reporter: what is it going to cost in general? i know it's based on what time of the morning and the ride home. >> yes, based on congestion, so it would range from about 30 cents to upwards of $6.

we're looking at an average of $3 for the toll. >> how much time do you think people will be saving? >> considerable savings. it's an immediate travel time benefit. this is a very congested corridor, over 300,000 people are exiting this interchange a day. to be able to pay a few dollars to get into the express lane is going to be, you know, a great benefit. >> five, ten minutes? >> if not more. >> reporter: and you have a fasttrack responder for people who are car poolers. what do they have to do? >> have to put this in your mylar bag. >> don't sit on it. >> reporter: thank you very much, brandy. so, again, this is on dixon landing, roughly on 880, roughly north 4th street on 237. both directions if you want to say some time and you have a fasttrack transponder, there's a way to pay, you get a little bit -- maybe work little bit earlier than usual.

san francisco police are still looking for a second man in connection with a brutal beating last january. two men described as preppy looking attacked a 23-year-old hayward man on polk street. witnesses say the victim was coming to the aid of women who were being harassed. one of the suspects, 27-year-old turned himself in on friday. police are looking for the second man involved. the victim survived, but doctors say he may never fully recover. palo alto police launching a new campaign to fight a spike in robberies. a total of 53 homes targeted this year compared to only 149 all of last year. police say many of the thieves entering through unlocked doors or windows, and that's prompted the lock it or lose it campaign. it will teach people how to safeguard their homes and how to recognize and report suspicious behavior.

the search continues for a gunman who killed four people at a jewish school in france. now authorities say the gunman may have videotaped the attack. today in the bay is following the latest overnight developments in our newsroom for us. good morning. >> good morning this morning. schools across france paused for a moment of silence to honor the three children and rabbi who were killed. meanwhile france's interior minister says surveillance cameras show the shooter was wearing a video camera attached to his chest. it's believed he may have filmed the attacks. today, french investigators are keeping an eye on the internet to see if any images are posted online. s also today, security remains heightened across france, even here in the bay area, you may notice more officers outside local synagogues. now to iraq, more than 40 people are dead, almost 200 hurt after bombings take place in at least eight iraqi cities today. among the cities hit, baghdad, and the shiite holy city of

karbala. the blast appeared to target police forces. much closer to home, severe weather hitting the lone star state today. folks in texas waiting for daylight to survey the damage left behind by a suspected tornado. 50 homes near san antonio are in shambles after that suspected twister touched down last night. flooding in the dallas area, streets turning into rivers. the storm causing power outages and delays. john, we checked with local airports today, and those of you who have a flight to catch to texas, good news for you, no delays reported today. >> thank you very much for the update there. tough new rules for the san francisco police. the board of supervisors wants the police department to follow state and local privacy laws when working with the feds on counterterrorism investigation. the board tentatively approved a

plan last week despite complaints from the chief that it will handcuff his officers. the board holding a final vote today. if it passes, the chief wants the mayor to veto it. putting the burden of education on the wealthy. occupy education demonstrators will rally today outside oakland's state building this afternoon in support of the so-called millionaire's tax. they're calling on groups to abandon the other proposed tax plan and increased tax on high-income earners. governor brown has joined in support of the initiative. it would raise the tax rate on the wealthy for an additional two years. it is 5:07 right now. more occupy protesters being arraigned in court this morning. three demonstrators facing charges of resisting arrest and blocking a sidewalk. it all happened during an occupy cal protest last november. four people were arraigned yesterday and were ordered to stay 100 yards away from uc

property except to attend class or go to work. more protesters are due in court tomorrow. 5:07 right now. muni directors will vote on a rail safety plan to end a year-long dispute. back in february, 2011, the california public utilities commission accused muni of operating an unsafe rail operation. muni denied those allegations but agreed to upgrade aging tracks as well as replace cable and improve communication with the state regulators. and starting today, santa cruz going green. a plastic bag ban taking place this morning and several hundred businesses are making that switch. the local environmental groups pushing for this change citing concerns over beach litter and dangers to marine life. more communities have similar measures in place. >> getting a little break today, at least, in the south bay? >> looks that way. we're watching for more green to show up on the radar, at least

in the north bay later on. so far this morning, actually so dry. we're seeing clouds to start the morning, which brought our temperatures up in most spots. later today, we'll see rain dropping in for areas north of santa rosa and the south bay looks dry. seven-day forecast does bring in more rain and not just rain, but cooler temperatures and lowering snow levels coming up again this weekend. outside this morning, not too bad. 40s to near 50s right now in san jose. mostly cloudy skies, not much wind this morning and in terms of the radar view, we're not seeing anything right now around the bay area. you have to head up to the north coast. as you get up through towards eureka. this is going to spill down into the north bay as we head through the afternoon. but looks like where the jet stream is located this morning, this moisture will spill over and drop, the chances mainly north of the golden gate today and then into thursday, a stronger system comes down the coast as you get into the weekend.

south bay temperatures, not too bad for this mid spring. toward the east bay, we'll see the numbers in the low 60s and out toward the coast, mid-50s for highs today, mainly north bay showers, but the weekend, that's a different story. rain and much cooler weather coming back saturday and sunday. mike? >> we'll take you out in the east bay and look at the approach from the bay bridge. let's look at the bay bridge itself in the lower left of your screen. we had the lower deck showing slowdowns. all the yellow has disappeared. the possibility of a crew moving there. the high street onramp. a live look shows how light the traffic is coming past the coliseum with our coliseum camera. and the construction looks like the road crew has left that onramp. you should be okay. both directions getting on at high street and park. we're looking further south, looking at the maps for hayward and the interchange. no problems there. no wind advisory this morning for the san mateo bridge itself. and the bottom of your screen for 280 southbound, no incidents, i'll track this down

and let you know if there's anything to report. palo alto is looking to bring new life to what some say is a neglected part of the city. a live look for you this morning, in fact, at the edgewood shopping center where a plan was approved last night to transform that plaza for building a new supermarket at that site. ten homes will be constructed at that location. edgewood plaza opened back in the 1950s and it's now mostly filled with vacancy signs. it is 5:11 right now. the campaign to improve the tower is gaining support. coalition of neighborhoods backing proposition b on the june ballot. calling for money mainly will go toward maintenance and limits the number of private events to be held there. the recreation and park department and the arts commission say the proposal is too vague and it's restrictive. a north bay raceway wants to spin its way to a guinness world

record today. 4:00 this afternoon, drivers at a raceway will try to break a guinness world record for the most cars doing donuts at the same time. >> love it. >> to break the record, they must spin more than 57 cars for ten seconds. >> that's not easy. >> that's a lot of rubber, huh? 2010, a group of 57 drivers set up the record at an australian raceway. >> when i was back in high school, we used to do that on a regular basis. >> do we want to hear this? >> i had no idea there were world records out there. i was good at doing that stuff. it is 5:12 right now. the cherry blossoms are in bloom. we'll show you the amazing spring sight in washington, d.c. coming up next. plus the city talking about allowing more pot clubs into town. and capitol hill republicans revealing what they think the coming budget should be looking like. we'll get details coming up in a live report. feed me!

saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. is there a prize in there? oh, there's a prize, all right. is it a robot? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur?] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that c help lower cholesterol. stickers? uh-uh. a superhero? ♪ kinda.

[ male announcer ] and we think that's the best prize of all. ♪ ♪ hit the road, jack ♪ and don't you come back no more ♪ ♪ no more, no more, no more ♪ hit the road, jack ♪ and don't you come back no more ♪ [ male announcer ] want your weeds to hit the road? hit 'em with roundup extended control. one application kills weeds and puts down a barrier to stop new ones for up to four months. roundup extended control spray once. stop weeds for months.

rob confirmed for us at 10:14 last night, the spring got here and the cherry blossoms are blooming in the nation's capital. the peak bloom expected to start tomorrow and run through thursday. they're e nam orred with it. this year is the 100th anniversary of the planning of the first two cherry trees from japan. they were planted on the north bank of the basin in washington, d.c. >> we've got a blossoms here in the bay area, but the rain washed them away. >> they did. but you know, you just start sniffling. as we watch the temperatures warm for the winter, though, over the last week or so,

dodging the rain drops. this morning, what you're going to notice outside. first morning of spring actually feels like it. 40s and 50s outside, no 30s, no worries about patchy frost. and thanks to clouds overnight, kept our temperatures up and 05 in san jose and san francisco. and no worries about wind right now. so later on today, we'll probably start to see the winds pick up out of the south and southeast as light rain approaches the north bay. and we'll see wildly different weather today. santa rosa northward, probably quite a bit of rain. and san francisco, the dividing line between seeing showers and the south bay, things are looking mainly dry. the weekend, that's a different story. we will see plenty of rain coming on back. i want to show you what's happening along the southern plains. flight paths into oklahoma city and into the southern u.s. will be affected by that severe weather today. and also toward the pacific northwest, you can see active weather just to the north. as we take a look at our own doppler radar, not much in the north bay this morning.

your morning commute is fine in terms of weather unless you're heading up to the coast. eventually this is going to spill down into areas in the north bay as we get into the afternoon. at least in the next few days we'll see these opportunities for showers spilling to the south, but mainly to the north of the golden gate this weekend. we'll see a cold system drop down the coast. that will bring us rain bay area wide. san jose toward morgan hill. mid-60s. out towards pleasantton, and the cooling temperatures across the north bay, those places most likely to see a little bit of light rain later on this afternoon. seven-day forecast shows the clouds and sunshine. a bit warmer tomorrow, but thursday, we'll see a few extra showers, and for the weekend, the first weekend of spring looks more like winter again. i think more snow by the time we wrap things up on sunday. >> well, we like skiing. i don't know if we'll get it, but we like it. still a 14 to 15-minute drive.

look at that, we see the yellow. that means speeds in the 50s. that's not unusual for this time, traffic tuesday, heavier volume of traffic. a smooth drive we're incident free down to 680. i saw some slowing now southbound, right around here and coming up around the bend heading into fremont, looks like a sweeper truck around the area for the last ten minutes. that might be making its way around durham road and they should be getting off of the freeway, but prepare for a little bit of slowing. folks are moving over, shifting lanes. we'll take you back to the south bay on the maps and a nice smooth drive northbound. we have that express lane opening, from southbound 880 and dixon landing. we'll get bob's live report coming up. meanwhile, we do have a report of someone pushing a motorcycle off the roadway there. trying to get off of the freeway, maybe they ran out of gas. but it's not too cold this morning. you're okay. construction crew should be picking up soon and no slowing

in either direction. 101 clearing into the city and into the city from the north bay, the golden gate bridge looks smooth, as well. clear view for them coming into the city, beautiful bridge, back to you guys. >> thank you very much, mike. apple continues to help boost stocks on wall street. we turn to jackie deangelos. >> futures lower this morning after stocks posted minor gains on monday. apple, of course, boosting the nasdaq after it announced it'll start paying dividends to shareholders and buy back $10 billion in stock. apple shares closed above $600 for the first time ever. also a rise in home builders sentiment. asia and european markets are in the red this morning and we'll get data on housing starts and building permits. we saw the dow add six points to 13,629.

in the meantime, house republicans will unveil the 2013 budget plan today. the center piece is tax reform calling for cutting the individual income tax brackets from 6 to 2. it also eliminates the alternative minimum tax and the plan would lower the corporate tax rate to 25%. it may include budget cuts to medicare, but the gop plan isn't expected to pass the democrat-controlled senate. and ben bernanke is back on campus, the fed chairman is giving the first of four lectures on the central bank's role in the economy at george washington university today. bernanke was an economics professor at stanford and princeton before he went to washington. g.w. picked the class of 30 students about what they hope to learn from arguably the second most powerful person on the planet behind the president. you don't have to be in class to hear bernanke's speech. he'll stream them online. >> thank you very much. 5:20 right now. medical marijuana patients in the east bay may soon be able to shop at a wider selection of

dispensari dispensaries. the city council deciding whether to increase the number of pot clubs from four to six and whether to ease restrictions on locations allowing them in commercial zones near residential neighborhoods. currently they're confined to two areas in the hill top and pacific east mall areas. and berkeley's city council will attack the crime of sex trafficking. they'll be discussing creating a task force to fight the exploitation of children. the daily californian reports the idea stems from a recent panel discussion that alleged underage girls are involved in prostitution at berkeley high school. it is 5:21 right now. coming up, a late-night decision on whether to allow walmart to open a new supermarket in one bay area city. we'll tell you what was decided next. o and want to see a couple of gu ruin a perfectly good ipad? we'll show you coming up. buying this juicer online was unbelievable. what a bargain!

[ female announcer ] sometimes a good deal turns out to be not such a good deal. but new bounty gives you value you can see. in this lab demo, one sheet of new bounty leaves this surface cleaner than two sheets of the leading ordinary brand. so you can clean this mess with half as many sheets. bounty has trap and lock technology to soak up big spills and lock them in. why use more when you can use less? new bounty. the clean picker upper.

welcome back, everyone. one of reno's splashes resorts is fighting to stay afloat. the silver legacy resort is having a tough time competing with northern california indian casinos. this was supposed to reinvigorate the gambling industry when it reopened 17 years ago. but now avoiding default. the general manager says talks are continuing to try and find a way to keep it from closing. 5:24 right now. walmart is a step closer to opening a new store in pleasantton. approved plans for the discount chain on santa rita road. it was in response to an appeal filed by two local residents who did not speak at the meeting. it will move forward unless a council member appeals the plan.

scott mcgrew, daisy making an unlikely argument. >> it is one of -- davie, after all who lied. the man behind the agony and ecstasy behind steve jobs rocked the tech world when it was revealed what he talks about poor working conditions at factories that makes apple products was made up. the radio show used much of his testimony as fact, that forced a major retraction. he's not the most popular guys these days. but he seems to not recognize that saying, given the tone, you think i had fabulated an elaborate hoax and there's nothing in this controversy that contests the facts in my work about the nature of chinese manufacturing. it's an interesting set of word choices. because mike daisey's facts are

what everyone was contesting. apple has sold 3 million of the new ipads from friday to monday. it took 80 days to sell 3 million the first time ipad was introduced. so now 3 million in three days. >> three, two, one -- >> so i guess there are now 2,999,999 working ipads in the world after these guys dropped theirs intentionally. they're part of a san francisco company called square trade. and they do warranties and what not. but anyone to find youtube videos as the greatest advertising in the world. millions of youtube hits and cost them absolutely nothing to get that advertising. so pretty cool. >> i guess so. >> the cost of that -- >> except the $499 of the ipad. >> except the effect on the television industry because we tend to charge for our advertising. >> thank you very much. still to come on "today in the bay," the search continues for a missing south bay teen.

the latest details coming up. and san francisco mayor ed lee expected to make some sort of statement today about san francisco's sheriff mirkarimi's job. and i'm rob mayeda tracking a few showers on the way for your first morning of spring. the forecast is coming up. and we're looking at a smooth drive for 680 coming through the south bay. easy flow of traffic here, but i'll show you what's for your morning commute. it's traffic tuesday. come on back.

never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days is-- is huge. if my mom can fight and beat breast cancer, i can walk 60 miles. you just put one foot in front of the other, and you know that you're walking for such a great cause that you just keep going. (man) that you have all these people coming together for one common goal. (woman) the goal is to bring an end to breast cancer. (woman) there's no doubt in my mind that komen's funding helped saved my life. the 3-day is my opportunity to help save others' lives. (woman) i'll never stop walking, not till we find a cure. with 3 days and 60 miles, you're making a bold statement. you're saying breast cancer is not going to win. (woman) and it has to end, but it starts with us.

it is the most rewarding experience i have ever had in my entire life. we can do this. you can do this. we can all do this together. (man) register today for the... because everyone deserves a lifetime. new this morning, a vigil planned for the morgan hill teen that vanished on friday. the latest details coming up. and the sentencing of san francisco's sheriff mirkarimi has some people calling for a change in how the state monitors domestic violence. and i'm b-- we'll take you live coming up.

>> hopefuland a live look outsi. that is in san francisco, a beautiful shot of the bay bridge. if you haven't checked your almanac, it is officially day one of spring. it's also tuesday, march 20th. this is "today in the bay." good tuesday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. 5:30 right now, i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm john kelly. a nice start today. maybe not balmy, but warmer than yesterday. >> no 30s on the map. which is nice to get out for the first morning of spring. you saw the gorgeous pictures at san francisco. the cameras not bouncing around much. and yes, it's 50 in san francisco and san jose, pretty nice, 46 in santa rosa, and actually the radar is still quite dry. we're expecting to see light rain drop into the north bay, but looks like your morning commute is safe. all that rain well off to the north there of heading up toward

eureka. and later on today, we'll see some of the rain dropping into the north bay perhaps as we roll into your evening commute. we do have an accident reported over the last few minutes, the westbound 80, the east shore freeway along hill top drive. it has moved over to the shoulder and i haven't seen any slowing in the last five minutes. that means a smooth drive so far coming toward richmond. we'll watch to see if anything develops. a smooth drive between the city and the oakland side. look at the upper and lower decks move without interruption, but the volume picks up. typically see a heavy volume of traffic. >> thanks. ross mirkarimi now knows his sentence in the domestic abuse case, but his future as san francisco sheriff remains unclear this morning. today in the bay's christie smith live at city hall where ed lee is expected to announce whether mirkarimi's job is in jeopardy. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, john. san francisco mayor ed lee is expected to make some sort of

public statement today about the domestic violence case. and the future for sheriff ross mirkarimi who has made it clear he would like to keep his job despite pleading guilty yesterday to false imprisonment. mirkarimi was sentenced yesterday to counseling and a fine. now a tape -- met for sentencing. he didn't say what it was about. lee could start the process to remove mirkarimi from office, but it would be up to the board of supervisors to make that happen. after the sentencing, mirkarimi said he would like to try to regain the public's trust. >> i'm going to devote myself to repair my relationship with my family, with the people of san francisco, and i'm committed to becoming a better public servant, one you can be proud of, someone who should not hide from their mistakes, and demonstrate what it means to

grow forward. >> mirkarimi has said he's been in counseling for arrogance and anger issues. he says, though, that sheriff's department has been running right amid all his personal strife going on. but a statement by the deputy sheriff's association certainly suggests otherwise. saying that we are disappointed when any law enforcement officer pleads guilty to a crime. they also go on to say that morale at the department has certainly been affected by all of this. reporting live in san francisco, christie smith, "today in the bay." the case against mirkarimi is drawing attention to a bay area women's call for a registry of domestic violence offenders. she was brutally attacked by her boyfriend in 2009. she says she was stunned when she learned her attacker had been to prison twice before for domestic violence. >> shotgun on a former wife, and i thought why is this stuff sitting, you know, in these

courthouses when no one can get to them? >> the registry would work similarly to the megan's law website identifying the name, birth date, city of residence, and the county where the offender was convicted. a national registry already exists. investigators reviewing a morgan hill cell phone records and computer files for any sort of clues in her disappearance. sierra lamar was last seen leaving for school friday morning, but never showed up for class. her cell phone was found the next day in a field about a mile from her house. detectives have interviewed her friends in her high school and the high school she attended last year. friends have posted her picture at local businesses hoping somebody will recognize her. >> she would never run away. she wouldn't feel safe being alone. she loved being with friends and a lot of people. it's very out of character for her. >> investigators right now contacting registered sex

offenders in the south santa clara county area there. to find out where they were when lamar vanished. a prayer vigil will be held tonight for the missing teen. as of now, it will be at the morgan hill presbyterian church on dewitt avenue starting at 8:00. that could change, so you're suggested to search facebook for "help find sierra" for the latest details. it is 5:35 right now. new toll lanes open this morning for the south bay commute, which means solo drivers may have to pay up while car poolers will have to cover up. today in the bay live to explain it. >> reporter: if you've driven across, you're familiar with what this is. we're talking about a new express toll lane just opened up at 880 which is where we're at right now and north 4th street and 237. and as you're about to see, we're about to approach the lit up sign. and if you have a fasttrack

transponder and you're a solo driver and you want to shave time off your commute, you come up to one of these entrances right here and you can see right now the pricing is just 70 cents because it's early in the commute, not many people are out there. but later in the commute, it'll be as high as $6. they'll average around $3 per person. per vehicle to get in the lane and -- the saving of time is tremendous. >> reporter: how much time will people expect to save? >> it depends on the time of day. the a.m. commute, people are looking at 17, 18, 19 minutes to get through this interchange, it's going to considerably cut down their time, five, ten minutes, if not more. >> and this is a four-mile stretch between dixon landing and 880 and first street entrance. in both intersections, they'll

eventually extend this to 101. this basically covered the commute between milpedas and mountain view. one thing you should know is that chp is going to be out there enforcing, especially now because there's a rule once you are in the express lane, you are legally committed. you cannot leave until the express lane ends because there is a double stripe line you are legally not allowed to cross over. if you did, that would be considered a moving violation. reporting live here on 237 westbound. you can see the brake lights in the lanes that are not using express lane. "today in the bay." it is 5:37 right now, we check in with rob mayeda. sounds like we dodged more rain drops up north. more to come later? >> yeah, the north bay for sure will see the chance of light rain, but for the most part, it's very dry, earlier about this time yesterday morning, we were thinking we might get light rain in here, not the case right now, and it's actually pretty

mild in terms of our temperatures. not much wind either. so weather wise, nothing really getting in the way of your morning commute. we don't have fog, rain, or wind. and we'll see what mike has to say with the rest of the traffic report coming up. you have to head up north of the north bay, getting up towards eureka, this is where the rain is right now. this line is slowly going to drop to the south as we go to the afternoon, and the jet stream just to the north. for today and again on thursday, it's really going to be the north bay that sees the best bet of showers for the workweek. some showers further south, but from san jose south, temperatures are going to be pretty mild today. mid-60s down toward gilroy, tri-valley, low 60s today, cooler, from san francisco northward, 50s across the north bay. we're talking about a little bit of north bay rain today, mainly north of santa rosa. tomorrow, i think we might get close to 70 around gilroy. warm day for wednesday, few more showers on thursday. >> say we don't have rain, we don't have wind, we do have

traffic because it's tuesday. heavier volume usually but over at the east shore freeway and what we have there is a disabled vehicle. westbound, your commute direction at ashby, the reason i point it out, it may be in your center divide. and if that is the case, we might see a traffic break over the next few minutes. chp, i'll let you know if they tell us what's going on over there. there's a lighter volume starting to build. but it's building for westbound highway 4 through antioch. eastbound side has construction, still blocking one lane, but that's opposite your main commute. a little slowing shows up around g, but that's the opposite side where things are starting to jam up coming off of hillcrest. we'll get a live look outside see how you're crossing the bay. those taillights picking up the volume, but no slowing yet, guys, easy drive across the water. 5:39 right now. decision day in illinois could make mitt romney's push to become president or place him right in the middle of a heated dog fight. a live report coming up next. plus, new video this morning

of a fire at a southern california pier. itsand a dangerous stretch of1a hiway 17, the plans to make tfer.

at bank of america, we're lending and investing in the people and communities who call the bay area home. from funding that helped a local entrepreneur start a business... to providing grants to a nonprofit which offers job training and placement... and supporting an organization working to help the environment. because the more we do in the bay area, the more we help make opportunity possible.

welcome back, everyone. and a good tuesday morning to you. look at the port of oakland all lit up. early this morning. a little warmer out there. what's in store when it comes to the forecast? we'll check in with rob mayeda in for christina. 5:42. gearing up for today's big vote in illinois. a state with more delegates at stake than any other so far except for georgia. today in the bay's tracie potts live on capitol hill this morning with a look at how rick santorum is trying to upset mitt romney's front-runner status. good morning. >> hey, john. he's certainly hoping to, but it's an uphill battle for santorum. romney's got the momentum, the

delegates, he's not necessarily taking the state for granted. he's been there three days campaigning even at the university of chicago where obama talked to students there. he told reporters that looking for a nod in illinois to try to solidify his campaign. and the latest polls, he's up on average by nine. the last one, which was a democratic poll had him up by 15 points. santorum clearly the underdog here. and besides that, he's also not eligible for 10 out of the 54 delegates at stake today because he filed the paperwork too late. he also made a bit of a gaffe yesterday getting some attention on a key issue, unemployment. he said and this was his quote, i don't care what the unemployment rate's going to be. doesn't matter to me. later on, romney picked up on that saying, well, i care, i want to put people back to work. santorum explained he meant he didn't care in terms of it not having an impact on his campaign in terms of a day-to-day difference. but that could certainly have an impact on what happens there

today. mitt romney ahead in terms of the delegate count, the official count by nbc. he's got 443 to santorum's 184. >> tracie potts, thank you very much. the summer olympics in london are just a few months a i way, but there are concerns american travelers might be bringing back something other than olympic fever. the new england journal of medicine says there's a chance of a measles outbreak. unvaccinated american tourists could carry that virus home. last year, there were 26,000 reported cases in europe with eight deaths. health experts say if you plan on traveling abroad, make sure your vaccines are up to date. the sierra ski slopes sadly have claimed another young life. 21-year-old plaster county snowboarder died on an expert run at sugar bowl yesterday. friends found him dead in a tree well. so far sheriff deputies have not released his name. but there are reports he was an employee of the resort. this morning, several boats

are damaged after a fire at a dock in southern california. san diego fire department says four boats went up in flames last night at the mission bay yacht club. three of those boats were completely destroyed. the fourth was set to be very heavily damaged. investigators are trying to determine what started that fire. luckily no one was injured. rob mayeda in for christina. >> for high temperatures, we should be seeing 70s and 80s on the map. today, well, we should get into the mid-60s for san jose. and we're adding up the rain totals from last week and the weekend. mostly 50% of average from oakland northward, but lagging behind in the south bay. now the snow pack totals have been updated. we're getting closer to 50% in the northern sierras. despite several feet of snow. this shows you how dry it was in the sierra. we've only come up to about 40

to 37% of average for this time of year. but by this weekend, we will be adding more snow. up toward the high country, temperatures around the bay area, 40s and 50s outside, you really don't need the winter coat on this first morning of spring. and you don't need the umbrella right now for the north bay. but later on this afternoon, this rain which is on the far north coast, that's going to drop down we think to the north of the golden gate. mainly a north bay light rain event at times, south bay likely staying dry, the weekend, though, a stronger system roll down the coast that will bring us the best chances of rain around the bay area come saturday on into sunday. today, mid-60s, south of san jose, in fact, come tomorrow, we should see some low 70s popping up on this map. so tomorrow, maybe feeling a bit more like spring. the tri-valley should see the numbers in the low to mid-60s and across the north bay, cooler, santa rosé northward cooling down temperatures across the north bay. seven-day forecast shows you showers mainly through the north bay today, tomorrow the warmest day of the week, then a few more showers rolling into thursday

and saturday and sunday, another cold weekend with more rain and some more mountain snow on the way, mike? mountain snow, we love it. it helps the water. we have the new transition ramp opening up. they were showing us the new connecter. from the southbound 880 over to westbound 237. let's see if we have that chopper shot. there you go. we are looking at a smooth drive coming down 880 and down towards 237. folks getting past dixon county road and they'll move you over to 237 and over to north 1st street. that should help folks during the bulk of the commute. but no light volume in traffic right now. we'll take you over to the east bay. that's where things are starting to develop over here. we do have slowing now. a 16-minute drive shows up. the bulk of the slowing coming in toward livermore and no problems here at the dublin interchange. a smooth drive there. we'll take you to the other side of the bay where we're looking

at a nice drive across that san mateo bridge. very calm, 101, 280, both have been very nicely up into or out of san francisco. and then we're looking at the bridge, as well. the bay bridge as you're crossing over the water. a smooth drive over the water. golden gate, no problem, and the bridge, calm situations as far as the winds go, as well. we'll send it back to you guys with a pleasant flow out of the east bay. back to you. >> thank you very much. well, walnut creek police looking for a man that appears to be stalking a 13-year-old girl. he approached the girl offering a ride last wednesday. the girl, well, she ran home. the very next day, that girl says the same man showed up near walnut creek intermediate school where she goes to school. she did the smart thing, ran inside of the school. police say the man is in his 60s with gray hair, high cheekbones, and tanned skin. he was driving a faded red older model sedan with a disabled

placard hanging from the rearview mirror. it is a notoriously dangerous curve on highway 17 we often talk about. and the highway patrol wants to speed up plans to fix it. we're talking about the area called laurel curve. a stretch of the highway where there's no center divide. but now the highway patrol wants the median barrier extended and is asking caltrans to expedite a safety study. a driver died friday morning in a head-on crash on laurel curve. the 67-year-old man lost control of his car in the rain and hit an suv. two others suffered minor injuries. 5:49 right know. cal state trustees will get an update on the budget forecast for the meeting this morning. comes on the heels outlining plans to restrict the number of admissions in the fall of 2013. they say as many as 25,000 qualified students could be rejected unless funding is restored through the governor's proposed tax hikes on the november ballot. the trustees also announcing once again, no new applicants will be admitted to cal state

schools next spring. the cal women's basketball team getting ready for the next game of the ncaa tournament. they play at 4:20 tonight. and the winner moves on to the sweet sixteen. sanford women are there, they beat west virginia last night. 72-55. their opponent in the sweet sixteen will be south carolina. the two teams will play on saturday, game time to be announced. go cardinals. well, the golden state warriors honoring a fan favorite last night. >> you and everybody in here, the warrior fans were a huge part of my success. your support and encouragement throughout the years enabled me to be the best player i could be and the best person i could be. >> the team retiring number 17 last night, chris mullen on hand to thank the fans for their support and love. he played 13 years in a golden state uniform and says he would not want it any other way.

lin sanity isn't as big today as it was a month ago, but still attracting attention. new york knicks' point guard and harvard grad has a new job with volvo. the swedish car company is expected to be the focus of the swedish car company's efforts now in china. according to motorauthority.com, volvo plans to use lin's twitter account and his 664,000 followers as a marketing tool. they're going to use him to be the focus of their big campaign in china. >> i like the volvo move. i thought he might have a sofa campaign. remember, he was sleeping on a friend's sofa. that was my guess, but maybe later. coming up, amazon offering a new deal for customers. how you can make a little extra cash today. plus, lotto fever. did you catch it? megamillions jackpot continues to climb. we'll tell you how much is at stake for tonight's drawing. and some app makers may bes

to snatch it up. save. don't worry, tiny people. flo is a gentle giant. bundle home and auto at progressive.com.

it's kind of a big deal. to find nutritious and gluten-free cereals my whole family actually loves? well, the word "wow" comes to mind. and then a friend told me chex has five flavors that are gluten-free. even a cinnamon one the kids love. a nutritious cereal that makes everybody happy? like i said, wow. [ male announcer ] chex cereal. five flavors. good and gluten free.

welcome back, everyone. beautiful live look outside. pretty clear out there. a little warmer temperatures. a live look outside over san francisco this morning. first day of spring. 5:54. have you ever been yelled at by a flight attendant for having a cell phone before taking off? you may be able to keep that ipad, kindle, phone, or whatever powered up. they are working with electronics manufacturers to figure out how it can allow the greater use of electronics on planes. it will do tests to determine if things like e-readers or laptops truly affect the plane's avianics.

there is no time line on the testing or when it'll be complete. get your dollar ready, megamillions jackpot up to $241 million this morning. people all over the bay area stopping to buy their tickets hoping to strike it rich. now, if someone wins tonight, they can choose to collect about $9 million a year for 26 years or take the big lump sum payment of $171 million. to get your tickets for tonight's drawing, you must buy them before 7:45. all right, the world's largest online retailer hoping $5 will get you to their website. amazon.com will be selling $10 gift cards for only $5 to get people to visit their local site. amazon local today. pretty smart move. officials at amazon say they're hoping the gift cards will attract new customers basically double your money. amazon is the biggest online merchant, but the largest deals seller is groupon. >> how many can you buy? >> that's a good question.

have you played "draw something?" i'm addicted to this game. the guys behind the super popular app may be headed to san francisco. >> that's one of the reasons i thought we'd talk about it this morning. good morning. the talk is zinga, the big games company will buy that company. in case you haven't seen it, here it is, it's like pictionary. it's a blue/red something, i have no idea what that would be. you can play a game with your facebook friends, reporting this morning that zinga is looking to buy the company behind draw something. new york city omg pop. zinga has snatched up a lot of popular games. shares of apple this morning will open up at $601 a share as we see wells fargo ringing the bell a few pennies under the all-time high for apple. yesterday's announcement that apple would offer a dividend for

the first time in more than a decade pushed that stock much higher. $601 this morning but some analysts calling for $900 a share for apple. >> amazing. thank you very much. >> and apple like that will really keep the doctor away. still to come on "today in the bay," safety deal, one transit agency agreeing to make changes after accusations it was unsafe. plus, the latest california county to ban plastic bags where you're going to need to bring your own bags starting today. and we're tracking if you need an umbrella this morning. that rain on the north coast approaching the bay. i'll have your forecast coming up. and we're looking at your typically busy traffic tuesday and it is shaping up as it should. we have a couple of things to point out for the south bay the your typical pattern coming up. [ female announcer ] here in california, our schools need help.

the rgest class size in the nation. 47th out of 50 in per-student funding. but right now, we can make history with a ballot measure to send every k-through-12 dollar straight to our schools. to every school and every child. not to sacramento. it's the only initiative that can say all that. check out our online calculator and find out how your school would benefit. visit ourchildrenourfuture2012.com today. [ clang ] my house is where plants came to die. ♪

but, it turns out all i was missing was miracle-gro potting mix. it's got what a plant needs. even plant food that feeds them for up to 6 months. you get bigger, more beautiful plants. guaranteed. who's got two green thumbs thanks to miracle-gro? uh, this gal. boom! everyone grows with miracle-gro.