good morning to you. and thanks so much for joining us. it's seconds away from 5:00. >> we check in with christina. >> rain coming up this weekend. and unfortunately, this morning, we do have some of that fog and drizzle. you saw from that live picture of the golden gate bridge, not entirely slick across the board, but you will find slick spots across the highway. not too cold, we're headed toward the 60s and we do have that storm system on the way for the weekend. we do need the rain. we'll time that out for you at your doorstep coming up. first it's 5:00 straight up, let's check in with mike for your drive. >> an update to add pittsburg, highway westbound 4, we have that accident blocking two lanes. the reason the accident scene's there, there's something spilled, maybe fuel, or maybe other type of fuel there. they need the absorbent and

we're waiting for that. no major slowing because of a light volume of traffic and we still have one lane open and that's where you'll find one issue. the earlier closure, the construction crew just cleared minutes ago and we're seeing the sensors come back up here as you're heading out on westbound highway 4. and that golden gate bridge shot where the construction crews moved those cones to the north side of the bridge. we are moving, a little sheen on the roadways and fog around, we'll see how things develop. >> thank you very much. it is 5:01 right now. after 32 hours standoff in southern france between police and a suspect wanted for the deaths of seven people, including children, is finally over. today in the bay is following the situation. joining us from the news room, marla? >> it was 2:30 this morning our time when french police decided to storm the apartment where the suspect was hold up and that's when everything came to a head. the french interior minister wrapping up a news conference about 30 minutes ago.

this right is a live look at the scene. a much calmer scene than we've seen overnight. when police entered the apartment, they found him hiding in the bathroom. a shootout followed and that's when he jumped out of a window still firing his weapon ultimately jumping to his death. police found him dead on the ground. this was a standoff that lasted for more than 32 hours and included several attempts by police to coax the 23-year-old french citizen to surrender. officials say at one point he promised he would. police say one of the last statements he made was he wanted to "die with weapons in his hands." which, in fact, he did. he admitted to police he killed three children and a rabbi at a jewish school on monday also three paratroopers last week. he is a self-proclaimed member of al qaeda who says he wanted to avenge the deaths of palestinian children, protest the french army's involvement in

afghanistan and quote, bring france to its knees. france's president nicholas sarkozy getting word this morning. he has not released an official statement but has congratulated police. >> what a wild finish to that scene right there. well, the man accused of beating a berkeley hills man to death with a ceramic flower pot will be in court today. daniel dewitt will attend a mental competency hearing today. accused of killing peter sucor outside his home last month. the attack brought to light questions about police response. berkeley's chief says the initial call about a trespasser came on a non-emergency line. his wife answered in minutes, police deny they were distracted by occupy protests. police are looking for a man who sexually assaulted a woman at knife point. the attack happened tuesday night on bridge road near san jose street. police say a man entered the woman's home, showed her the knife and sexually assaulted her.

if you have any information about that attack, call police. it is day six in the desperate search for sierra lamar, the 15-year-old girl who vanished on her way to school last friday. live in morgan hill where sierra's family is becoming more and more worried each and every day. good morning. >> good morning, john. and in her quest to find out why her daughter didn't make it here last friday, marlene lamar is turning to friends and the people of morgan hill for help. last night at another prayer vigil, this one in fremont where sierra lamar lived before moving to morgan hill last fall to live with her mother, she made a plea to property owners here in morgan hill, please search your land, especially those posted with no trespassing signs. the idea of being to see if anything turns up, any evidence, any clues that would let people know where sierra lamar is located. the only item that has turned up so far is sierra's cell phone

down from the family's home here in morgan hill. the latest, though, from the sheriff's office is that that, unfortunately, along with her computer have not revealed any information about her whereabouts. if sierra was abducted, there was one person at last night's vigil who could relate. mitsy sanchez who was 8 years old when she was kidnapped back in 2000, she escaped after being locked in her abductor's car for two days. >> it definitely brings back a lot of bad memories. i could just imagine what sierra's going through. i didn't really get too much of what was going on. on the outside. at home, i didn't know if anyone was looking or how my family felt. >> reporter: you can hear more from this exclusive one-on-one interview with mitsy sanchez tomorrow morning on "today." brentwood police, meantime, are looking for clues after finding two people dead inside a

home. bodies of a married couple were found in a home yesterday afternoon by their teenage daughter. it's unclear if the daughter was home at the time of that crime. police say the couple was shot. they're investigating it as a homicide but say they're also looking at the possibility of a murder/suicide. officers say there's no record of trouble at that home. it is 5:06 right now. and after more than two years of investigating, fire officials say they finally know the cause of a massive wildfire in the santa cruz mountains. a new report revealing the 2009 lockheed fire was sparked by a campfire at a remote cabin. prosecutors say the property owner will not be charged because there's no evidence at this point they actually lit that campfire. the lockheed fire burned almost 8,000 acres. it is 5:06. the man who set a series of car fires in south san francisco is going to prison. 24-year-old bogan was sentenced to 15 months in san quinton

pleading no contest to felony arson for a string of car fires in october 2010. prosecutors say he started the fires, then rushed to help firefighters extinguish them. there are new accusations u.c. davis is violating state law. last week a judge ruling most of the report on the november 18th incident would be made public. portions of that investigation naming specific officers and also criticized their actions that would be kept under wrap. however, u.c. officials say they do not want to release the report until it is completed next month. 5:07 right now. state and local leaders have a strategy to split the $1.5 billion cost to electrify the tracks. it would pave the way for quieter and quicker commuter trains in the next seven years and it would help jump start the bullet train project. the agreement calls for the state to spend $706 million in bond funds, money already set

aside for the high-speed rail. local counties would kick in $180 million in sales tax revenues and $500 million would come from federal grants. >> it's 5:07 right now. let's check in with christina. sounds like heavy stuff this weekend. >> yeah, we need the rain, we're still running a deficit. about 50% of average for this time of year, even up in santa rosa where we got drenched over the course of the weekend. as we head throughout this coming weekend, it's not going to be a complete washout. you will have opportunities to get outdoors and we'll time that out for you throughout the morning. right now, we are watching light showers just to the north of ft. bragg here. just a quick burst of rain. front falls apart as it moves onshore. however, it has strengthened that onshore flow. we do have thick fog out there this morning, especially along the peninsula. take it easy, pockets of fog. throughout the next few hours, likely seeing more develop. 54 degrees inland, comfortable conditions in places like san jose and mild at the coast, as

well. a full deck of clouds. it all works out like this for today. 4:00 p.m., we'll be at about 62 degrees in places like san jose and livermore. really comfortable for this afternoon. and right about on track with our seasonal highs and you continuously see those clouds continue throughout the day today. tomorrow, looks good, then the rain arrives. on saturday, we'll time that out for you help you make those outdoor plans, probably have some of that spring cleaning to start on. let's check your drive first, though, with mike. >> yeah, i got those boxes from when we moved into the house three years ago. >> highway 4, look over here, they've done this cleanup, westbound highway, right around bailey, two lanes have reopened. talk about needing the absorbent and the sweeper. all lanes are clear. couple of chp crews on the scene. approaching the earlier construction zone, but highway 4 is open in antioch, as well.

it have smooth drive toward the maze itself, but oakland in the southbound side for 880, a couple of spots for construction that should be picking up right now coming past 980 and again around high street. we'll take a look at the south bay, as well as 880 comes across. just a few cars for 880 and 17. 280 pretty sparse, as well, but we do have construction in the area. i'll tell you about that, guys, coming up. commuters who use the golden gate ferry, they might get queasy over proposed rate hikes. the transportation agency wants to raise fares by nearly $2. that would mean a one-way ticket from the city to the north bay would cost $7. the agency trying to slash a five-year shortfall of $87 million. a public meeting will be held at district headquarters starting this morning at 9:30. 5:10 right now. the biggest cargo ship to sail into the san francisco bay pulls out of port today. the msc arrived at the port of oakland today and unloaded its

cargo. it leaves the terminal today on the way to china. the ship is almost as long as the empire state building and as wide as a ten-lane freeway. >> that is big. >> the port says ships of this size are actually better for the environment because they produce lower emissions per container. >> that is very interesting. thank you for sharing that. this is an interesting story in and of itself. a kitty lucky to be alive after a trip to mill valley to santa cruz. a traveler found an 8-month-old kitty stuck inside the engine compartment of his van. it's okay. the kitty was all right. stowed away for the 85-mile trip. she was not microchipped, but wearing a blue-studded collar with a bell. the kitten currently at the animal shelter and i'm sure happy to be off of that car. >> wow. no kidding. poor thing. wow, survivor. 5:11 right now. new way to waste time during a

lunch break. new edition of angry birds. details in a live report. plus, the bay area university trying to crack down on a series of lab tests. and your last chance to have y on plan to change emission standards at san jose state. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today.

welcome back, everyone. live look outside. shark tank tonight, going to certainly light up. sharks hosting the bruins. take it away. 5:14. well, flying to the hawaiian islands this summer for bay area travelers got easier. that's very nice to hear. hawaiian airlines adding more flights between the bay area and maui starting july 1st, oakland international will have daily flights. san jose international will have five trips a week starting july

4th. and to promote these good vibrations, hawaiian offering round-trip tickets from san jose or oakland to maui for under $500. so get them while they're hot. this offer includes free flight connections to any other islands. but you have to buy it before tomorrow. so jump on it now. >> i don't know. >> go big. >> or go home, stay home. let's check the forecast right now. lots of folks probably going to stay in this weekend, i'd imagine. >> three 2-year-olds on a plane -- >> you want to come? >> yeah, i want to sit in the middle. it's going to be nice out there -- no, they're very well behaved. areas of low clouds this morning, tomorrow, looks really good. but for today, it's going to be a little cooler than where we ended up yesterday. temperatures reached the mid-70s in some cities. today we're talking about the mid-60s. tomorrow a little warmer, and then we've got a strong storm system on the way for the weekend.

looks like it's going to arrive for your saturday morning plans. it all works out for today. we had a quick burst of rain courtesy of a weak front that fell apart into northern california. as a result, that front coming onshore, stronger onshore flow this morning, we'll have a marine push. you'll see that marine area probably until about 10:00 a.m. today and then the clouds will break apart, the sunshine through, and we'll warm up into the 60s. time-out your future cast for you. you can see a little bit of a window for shower activity between now and 9:00 a.m. not expecting much, but enough to get your highways slick this morning. give yourself time. by tomorrow afternoon, we get cloudy by about 6:00 p.m. and our first showers move into the north bay as we hit tomorrow night. then we wake up saturday morning, we're talking about wet conditions just about everywhere. take a look at this front on the way. not just light rain, heavy to moderate rain for the first part of your saturday. we'll see lingering showers all the way throughout sunday morning. you'll be able to get outdoors for the second half of monday.

tuesday, wednesday, we keep this wet pattern in the mix. we need the rain. so we're not going to scoff at it by any means, but, hey, we want you to keep that in mind, keep your umbrella handy. we'll check your drive with mike. >> never scoffing at meteorologists, christina. we're looking over here to the south bay. now look at these little blips showing up, southbound 17. no incidents there, that typically occurs this time of day as it is and we'll check to make sure nothing's going on for the next few. this is what's going on. the earlier construction 880. down to one lane, they should be cleared in the next few minutes, but slower driving as they do clear over the next few minutes. we're looking at the lower peninsula where 101 looks smooth as well as 280. the dunbar bridge over to the eastbound side, that will be in place another half an hour. not causing much of a slowdown,

but it's down to one lane. san mateo bridge, slow drive, as well. just a 14-minute drive out the altamont pass. and a live look at 880 past the coliseum, and the volume starting to pick up a bit, but all construction at high street and 980 as well on the southbound side has cleared from lanes without any incident. send it back to you. >> thank you very much, mike. nasdaq at an 11-year high this morning, we'll see if investors can keep it up. for a look at how futures are trading and the rest of our news before the bell, live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning, jackie. >> good morning, laura. the futures are actually lower this morning. after a little bit of a mixed session on wednesday, investors largely shrugged off a weaker than expected report on home sales but fresh concerns about the global economy as data shows the manufacturing activity is slowing in parts of europe and china. asian markets were mixed overnight, and we're going to get some information on

employment in the u.s. as well as fedex reported numbers not too long ago. we saw the dow drop 45 points to 13,124, the nasdaq up to 3,075. >> the company's new line called refreshers is targeting the u.s. market dominated by the likes of red bull and rock star. the drinks are made with flavor extract and reported to have less caffeine than coffee drinks with roasted beans. if you can't get enough of angry birds, a new version is out called angry birds space. it takes place in outer space. it's been downloaded more than 700 million times since being launched in 2009. even walmart is getting in on the action and betting codes to unlock new editions. >> thank you very much, jackie. over 700 million down loads, those birds should be happy by now. well, police investigating a string of robberies at u.c.

berkeley labs. thousands of dollars worth of equipment has just disappeared over the past several months. police say thieves smashed the lab windows and snatched monitors and lab tops and computers. campus police increasing overnight patrols and looking for ways to make the labs more secure. tonight is your last chance to speak out about a plan to end preferential admission at san jose state. budget cuts means they can no long longer guarantee spotsment it could impact admissions for the fall of 2013. tonight's public meeting will be at the east side union high school district board room starting at 7:00. no, it is not last call just yet for san francisco's gold dust lounge. the city preservation commission deadlocked on a vote of whether to grant landmark status. the bar's owner is trying to get that historic status -- using the historic tactic to avoid

eviction. the landlord telling the owners of the bar to move out and make way for a retail store. it is 5:20 right now. coming up, an early delivery from the easter bunny at one bay area food bank. plus, fighting to stay together. the bay area couple battling deportation because of a traffic ticket. a clever new ad campaign.

welcome back, everyone. and a good thursday morning to you. looks like traffic's picking up a little bit out there at 880 in oakland. we're going to check the commute there across the bay area. help you get out the door if that's where you're headed. a gay couple in the bay area fighting to stay together as

they attend a deportation hearing in san francisco today. brian willingham is a u.s. citizen, his husband is from mexico. garcia had been working on his legal status when he married brian last summer in new york. in june, well, garcia got a traffic ticket and the feds want to send him back to mexico and bar him from coming back to the u.s. for ten years. the federal government does not recognize same-sex marriage. the easter bunny coming early for some needy east bay food banks. california egg farmers donating more than 34,000 eggs to the alameda county community food bank today. donation is part of a nationwide donation program organized by the united egg producers and feeding america. close to 10 million eggs will be donated to food banks nationwide today. well, laura, we all saw a video that appears to be a man flying like a bird. and we ask what you thought there. was it fake or real?

>> a lot of responses from nbc bay area viewers, and it was split right down the middle. here's a clip a guy said he spent weeks designing special wings and he takes off in flight. several other viewers pointed us to other news agencies which were saying the video is real. i want you to take a closer look at this video. pointing out, see the square on the left side, no square on the right side. the camera pans down and then the camera comes back up -- wait a minute, there's a square now on the right side, as well. the guys at ilm think this is where the cg begins. this is real, this is not real according to ilm and the blog. so there you go. all kinds of buzz around the tv show "madmen," the cast ringing the opening bell on wednesday. the show comes back after 17

months hiatus. there's going to be a neat homage in this week's issue "newsweek." these are real ads for real products. but they apparently went through the sterling cooper ad agency to do that. and i had to look that up, laura, and john, i'm not a "madmen" fan. but sterling cooper, that's the nation. >> yes, it is. >> a lot of drinking and smoking, scott. >> oh, well, then i'm in. >> there's a lot of stuff. you may want to check it out. >> jon hamm. not kelly. still to come on "today in the bay," police releasing a sketch of a man who tried to lure a girl to him not once, but twice. dental fillings, eye exams, it's all going on for free at o.co coliseum this morning. i'll tell you how long it'll last coming up in a live report. and the first weekend of spring looking more like winter.

we've got a lot of rain on the way. we'll time out the next front let you know how much rain is expected in your neighborhood coming up. and looks like construction crews are picking up all around the bay that could make for a smoother drive. wha t'll shou y is coming up.

new this morning, caltrans getting ready to start work on a dangerous stretch of highway 17 that causes deadly accidents just last week. sierra lamar's found cell phone leads to a dead end for investigators trying to find the 15-year-old girl. we'll have the latest on the search live here in morgan hill. also, the suspect wanted for those deadly shootings in france is now dead. i'll explain how the standoff finally came to an end, coming up. live look outside from the south bay this morning. hp pavilion with a look at the forecast in just a moment for this thursday, march 22nd. this is "today in the bay."

good morning to you, and thanks so much for joining us. it is 5:30 on the dot, i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm john kelly. let's check in with christina loren. looks like a lot of rain coming up. >> yeah, a lot of rain this weekend. we do need it, but you know what? we don't want it on the weekend, let's be realistic, there are going to be opportunities for you to get outdoors. we'll time those systems out for you. 54 degrees in concord and san mateo. this morning, you probably don't need the umbrella at this point. we might see a few light showers before 9:00 a.m., overall, though, mostly sunny day with temperatures in the 60s. like i said, we will time out that potent storm system on the way, another one on its heels, a weaker system, but a lot to talk about in the weather department. first we'll check your drive at 5:30 with mike. >> a lot of folks having trouble getting out of bed, but we have to get a bed out of the roadway

reported over at o.co. northbound 880 just at the bottom of your screen, it's a box spring reported. no one swerving around through the area, but you may find flashing lights. a smooth drive in both directions here, though, and another look across the bay, we'll see a san mateo bridge not having a problem, but there's moisture in the air. >> thank you very much, mike. we can tell you another vigil is scheduled tomorrow for 15-year-old sierra lamar. the teen who hasn't been seen since she left for school last friday. sierra's family is becoming more and more worried each and every day. bob, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, john. and the sheriff's office is still trying to figure out why sierra lamar never made it here to her school bus stop last friday. and those who love the 15-year-old girl are hoping to find that answer in prayer. >> she would be assured of the fact that her family and friends

love her and miss her. >> reporter: that was last night at another prayer vigil. this one in fremont where sierra lamar lived before moving here to morgan hill last fall to be with her mother. marlene lamar made a plea last night to property owners here in morgan hill asking to please look over your land, do a search, especially those pieces of property that are posted with no trespassing signs, any sort of evidence, any sort of clue as to where her daughter is located. the only item that has turned up so far is sierra's cell phone that was found alongside a road down from her home here in morgan hill. and the sheriff's office is now saying that unfortunately, along with sierra's computer have not revealed any information about her whereabouts. in another development, sierra's biological father steve lamar released a statement after it became known he is a registered sex offender. and he says, "i ask that you

please not shift the focus away from the investigation and from finding sierra." i also ask you please not let my past shape your opinion of sierra or anyone in my family. please understand, i'm a dad and i want nothing more than to find my missing daughter. the sheriff's office says steve lamar is not a person of interest and has been cooperating fully with his investigation. reporting live here in morgan hill, "today in the bay." >> if you have information, anything about this, about sierra's disappearance, detectives have set up a special e-mail address on your screen. we've also put the e-mail on our website at nbcbayarea.com. it is 5:33 right now. new this morning, the tense standoff in southern france is over after police say the suspect wanted in seven deadly shootings, he is now dead himself. following the situation in france, the latest developments from our newsroom. good morning. >> laura, good morning. the suspect managed to keep

police at bay for more than a day. the standoff lasting for about 32 hours finally coming to an end about 4:00 this morning. that's our time. this is a live look right now at the scene in france. police deciding to storm the apartment where he was hold up. and if he was attacked, he would kill police officers. so police made their way in, they found him hiding in the bathroom. they say he came out "guns blazing" and that's when they say he jumped out of a window while firing his weapon. police say they found him dead on the ground. over the course of the standoff, stun grenades were thrown in the apartment by police, gunfire and explosions were heard on more than one occasion. and police say he admitted he killed those three children and the rabbi at the jewish school. the 23-year-old is described as an islamic extremist who has

boasted killing seven people. this morning we're learning an e-mail account linked to his brother ultimately led police to him. his brother, by the way, was taken into police custody. i should also mention two french police officers were hurt in this morning's final raid. john? >> okay, marla, thank you very much. caltrans starting work this morning to make a dangerous section of highway 17 safer. installing a temporary center divide at laurel curve. last friday, a brentwood man died during a head-on crash on laurel curve. he lost control of his car that was in the rain and hit an suv. there should be some work complete in the next couple of days weather permitting. >> police are releasing a schedule of a man suspected of stalking a young girl. this man approached the 13-year-old girl as she got off the zool bus march 14th and offered her a ride home. the girl ran away, but the next day, the girl says she spotted

that man again near the iron horse trail. she again ran away. the girl said the man spoke with an accent and had a disabled placard hanging from the rearview mirror of a faded red older model sedan. it is 5:36. hundreds of people lined up right now in the east bay for an opportunity to get some free medical care. today in the bay's christie smith is live where doctors and dentists will be offering up free check-ups. good morning. >> good morning to you, john. when we last checked in with you an hour ago, we had this big crowd behind us at the coliseum in the parking lot. it's thinned out because what they've done is checked them in and now they're going to the next step which is up the ramp and into the coliseum where they'll get free health care. one volunteer told me that people were lined up outside the coliseum since about 3:30 yesterday afternoon. the gates didn't even open up until midnight. that shows you how great the need is. this is first come, first serve

and runs for four days for adults and children put on by a group called remote area medical. they're volunteers, but the doctors and the dentists that volunteer, they're local. the other volunteers come from all around the country. they offer things like dental services, eye care and basic medical chiropractic care. they say it's the dental that's really in demand. >> about 80% of the patients out here for dental and about 20% for vision and in most cases, if somebody has a medical problem, they can get that taken care of, you know, they can go to the emergency room, for example. but dental, you're out of luck. >> now, the clinic, of course, is meant for people without medical insurance who are unemployed or can't afford the care. already they told me they've given out 460 tickets. that's how this work, you start in the parking lot, that give you a ticket, then you go inside. they have a cap each day of

1,000 tickets, so certainly best to get here early. you don't need any i.d. reporting live in oakland, christie smith, "today in the bay." well, it is 5:37 right now, we check back in with christina loren who is going to let us know what's happening today and beyond. >> good morning to you. we have kind of an interesting forecast. as we head through the next few days, it's going to be nice today, a few showers on the way tomorrow, up in the north bay, and then we've got a lot of rain. if you're trying to make outdoor plans this weekend, you haven't already made those plans, looks like sunday's going to be your best day. i know a lot of people have been inquiring, a lot of weddings happen in the springtime. we're now in spring the first official weekend. oh, we're going to get soaked on saturday. a lot of rain, maybe 2 to 3 inches up in the north bay. temperatures this morning are running mild. 52 degrees in livermore, 52 in san mateo. noon today, temperatures climbing into the 50s, a really comfortable afternoon and we'll

start to see those clouds really start to clear out. slight cooling from yesterday's highs and that stronger storm system ahead as we head through this weekend. so we're going to lose the 60s, oh, 62 degrees inland at 4:00 p.m. and up the coast today 59 degrees. as of tomorrow, warmer, and back in the 50s, the wind comes back in the mix and a lot of rain. we'll time out the next system. let's check out your drive with mike. >> good morning, folks, we'll take you to the city. the approach with 280 and 101 at the interchange, reports of a disabled vehicle, crews should be there any second and that should be cleared over the next few minutes. but just a note for you. i've got my eyes on this tracking any incidents on the peninsula. we'll get a look outside. san rafael, southbound 101. an easy flow of traffic. that's typical here as you're approaching north san pedro road with those headlights. over to the east bay, as well, the earlier accident still on

the shore there. but all lanes are cleared and looks like they've been able to clear what spilled there, as well. activity continues and slowing coming off of the antioch bridge. this is unusual, happened basically since they had the construction zone through there, as well. this may be our sensors being played with by the crew there, but this may be the slowing. alex smith talking about his new contract with the 9ers and what he felt when he heard the team was talking to peyton manning. plus, ross mirkarimi getting ready to start part of his sentence today. and the state of marriage. a new study looks at the latest marriage and divorce trends in america. it's all coming up in a live report.

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. this morning, we are getting a fresh look at the age old institution of marriage. today in the bay's tracie potts live on capitol hill this

morning with a look at who's tieing the knot and who is avoiding the altar altogether. tracie, good morning. >> good morning, everyone. the cdc has new numbers out, brand new this morning that show that there were just over 2 million marriages in this country compared to almost 2 1/2 million back in the early '90s. people not getting married nearly as fast, but the divorce rates really haven't changed much since the early '70s. take a look at what the cdc is telling us this morning. half of all marriages still end in divorce, 1 in 2 will end before 20 years. people not staying married for two decades. but 60% are living together before they get married. interestingly, the study also found for women that living together does not predict a long marriage. in fact, people who live together tend to have a shorter marriage, have less of a chance of that marriage surviving. now, they also took a look at who's getting married and who's waiting. people with bachelors degrees, college grads, tend to wait

longer before they get married. women tend to stay single longer or avoid marriage altogether. and if you look at the age at which we get married for the first time, it's up about five or six years for men and women over the last couple of decades. interestingly in california and in most of the rest of the country, marriage a little more popular among men than women in california, 49% almost half of men are married, only 46% of women. >> very interesting. thank you, tracie potts. >> 5:44 right now. oil in the u.s. is a hot topic on the campaign trail as president obama promotes his energy plan. he's expected to use his stop in oklahoma to announce a plan to fast track the permitting of the southern portion of the keystone pipeline. he's opposed a section that crosses the border from canada. critics say it's an attempt by president obama to appease republican demands that the administration do something to stop soaring gas prices. >> they don't know what they're talking about.

or they're not telling you the truth. we're drilling all over the place. >> the company building the keystone pipeline says it will reapply for permission to build the section out of canada. calls for more oil drilling in the u.s. may not have much of an effect on drivers' wallets. the study done by the associated press says u.s. production has a very small influence on supply. since back in 1976 when adjusted for inflation, increased drilling did not translate to lower prices. analysts from several top universities are backing that study. this contradicts what several candidate haves asked the government to do. >> it is proof the spring has sprung. mother and ducklings were spotted walking on the white house grounds. took a little shortcut into the grass, but the ducklings couldn't jump up there. a ramp was actually placed nearby by the secret service to try to help those ducklings up, but they couldn't do it.

so secret service themselves had to step in, do their manly man job and help those ducklings through so they could reunite with the mother. >> a new white house mascot. >> yeah. >> can you imagine? i'm going to need a duck ramp over here. >> yeah, these guys are multi-talented. >> they are. >> showing a softer, gentler side. >> i like that. a tender side of the secret service. this morning, wherever you're headed, it's going to be nice out there. we don't have the showers we thought we were going to deal with. it's nice, we have slick spots because of the drizzle and mist out there. but the front has already fallen apart. that's good news for commuters getting out that front door right now. you don't have to worry about drenched roadways, no ponding out there. you might find some mist, a little bit of drizzle before 9:00 a.m. just slick spots on your local highway. you still want to give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination safely. but it could be worse, you could have to trek through those showers very slowly.

visibility's also pretty good, but we are going to drop like a rock as we head through the next two hours once that sun comes up. keep that in mind especially through the east bay. concord, 10 miles of visibility, but we are expecting that fog to creep in from the delta. 52 degrees in livermore, 51 in sunnyva sunnyvale, and 53 in san jose. a mild start. you can see, we stopped the clock at 10:00 a.m. that's when we closed the window for showers. pesky showers, if anything, they'll be very, very light. and we're not expecting measurable rain. not until we hit saturday. cloudy conditions, though, those will start to develop as we head through 7:00 p.m. friday. the front comes through 4:00 a.m. saturday, kind of a washout. but the good news is, you are going to have opportunities to get outdoors, you can see the showers start to light up over the second half of the day, another round of rain as we head to the first half of sunday. if you want to make those barbecue plans for the first weekend of spring, you'll be able to do so.

62 in milpedas. clouds for the first part of the day limiting that sunshine, keeping your temperatures on the cool side. 56 in san francisco. as we head to this weekend, there are those showers on the radar. not just dealing with this system, another one on its heels that's going to bring more rain tuesday into wednesday. so keep that umbrella handy. hopefully we'll be table to make up that deficit that we're still running only at about 50% of average of our rainfall for this time of year. let's check your drive at 5:48 with mike. >> all right, over here on highway 4, we have that accident on the shoulder. not an issue right now, just a little distraction. paperwork and cleanup after an earlier accident and spill of some sort of fluid. highway 4, we just saw the backup coming off the antioch bridge, now it's moved over. this is what we expect to see, traditional slowing over to 17, registering at l street, your traditional slowdown for highway 4. and as we move south, we're looking at livermore, as well. that interchange, holding fine

right now, getting into livermore, we have the slowing and that's the reason for your 16-minute drive as you're heading west out of the pass. no incidents for 580 either. 580 smooth through the caster valley area. toward the toll plaza with no backups and the east shore freeway, an 18-minute drive off the bridge. across the bay, a golden gate bridge, we'll see that traffic moves smoothly as christina showed you. but that sheen on the roadway, there's moisture in the air and there might be slick on and off ramps because the mist and drizzle coming through, as well. and in the south bay, no major incidents, but slowing that shows up, 101 as well as highway 87 coming up. back to you. >> thank you very much, mike. ross mirkarimi will begin serving his sentence for misdemeanor false imprisonment today. the 50-year-old will attend orientation for his 52-week domestic violence intervention class this afternoon. yesterday, san francisco mayor ed lee officially suspended

mirkarimi and appointed vikki hennesy as interim sheriff. san francisco's ethics exhibition will review the charges and advise the board of supervisors on whether to permanently remove the sheriff from his job. that could happen as soon as next week. 9 of 11 board members must vote against mirkarimi to remove him from office. well, this is not cool. thieves ripping off curb-side donations in santa clara. the hope services organization continues to take phone calls from donors about bags that have been taken right off of neighborhood sidewalks. hope's processing center on south street south of 101 has been the target of thieves. several break-ins recently and someone even stole the surveillance cameras there installed to try to deter the thefts. well, things could look a lot different the next time you park in downtown walnut creek. the city will install 1,000 new parking meters.

now these meters will accept credit card payments and eventually payments from mobile devices. installation could take several weeks to complete and will cost about $900,000. the city will also install parking sensors later on this year that will give realtime information on free spaces. 5:51 right now, 49ers quarterback alex smith signing on the dotted line and now speaking out about the recent quarterback controversy. smith agreed to a three-year $24 million deal yesterday. he says he was not offended at all when he learned the 9ers were pursuing manning. smith also said he's been through way worse and he's looking forward to playing with the 49ers for another season. >> and when you get a big fat raise -- >> a big one. coming up, hey, al pacino in the bay area, we'll tell you why he's in town. the growing trend in the business industry.

and what civil rights groups are doing to try to stop it. ipadplus, $200 million for aakg coming up.look co who's your car's best friend? gasoline that cleans. chevron with techron. care for your car.

it is 5:54. thursday morning, oscar-winning actor al pacino is in the bay area this morning paying tribute to another oscar playwright, oscar wilde. pacino was at the premiere for the documentary he directed titled in reference to a play that oscar wilde wrote in 1891. the premiere was a benefit for the lgbt historical society and coincides with the 130th anniversary of wild's stay in

san francisco. mayor ed lee declared yesterday oscar wild day. this morning, concern background checks are going too far as employers start asking potential workers for their social media passwords and log-ins. the practice has grown fastest in the public sector especially for law enforcement. but now starting to gain traction among private employers. the executive director of the american civil liberties union calling this trend dangerous. >> it's just, i think, wrong for employers or perspective employers to think that they have a window, or ought to have a window into all aspects of your life. >> they are in the drive's seat right now. they know unemployment's high, they want to be very selective about who they hire. >> for the record right now, there are no laws on the books forbidding employers from asking for facebook passwords and such. but the aclu is backing a bill that is trying to stop that practice in illinois. teens in the meantime are fighting back at bullies on facebook.

>> well, lots of talented teens out there that can program facebook apps. an organization called reach out has created a test -- a contest, rather, for the best anti-bullying app created by a child 13 to 17. the prize, $2,000 funded by some big names in the corporate world. there's more information at the website reachout.org. wall street kind of a snooze fest yesterday. the nasdaq gained a single point. that was enough to lift the index to the best close this year. nasdaq up better than 4%. and the rumors were true, zinga bought the small game maker omg pop, makers of "draw something" for a reported $200 million. this is to popular, top game on ipad and iphone right now. but with 30 million down loads, works out to about $6.60 a user. so 200 million, a big payout. i know you play it. >> i do. i love it.

>> you play the free version, i'm guessing. >> right? because i'm cheap. >> well, why would you? i'm guessing -- >> that's right. i'm smart. >> you play the free version, i play the free version, $200 million, a lot of money for people playing the free version. >> i'm trying to get this guy to play. it's pretty fun. >> maybe i will. >> there you go. 5:57 right now. the man accused of killing a berkeley hills homeowner in a brutal attack heads to court this morning. and we've got a few showers on the radar this morning, we'll pinpoint those for you. much stronger storm system on the way for the weekend. we'll time that out, as well in weather. and look what i drew. just whipped it up. 880 moving smooth out of the bay. and i'll show you what else is crossing the bay coming up. ♪

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