and a live look outside. san francisco, rain coming down in many parts of the bay area wreaking havoc on that morning commute as well. we'll take a look at all of it on this thursday, april 12th. this is "today in the bay." good morning to you. thanks for joining us. it is a busy morning out there. 5:00 right now, i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm marla tellez in no jon kelley today. let's get straight to the forecast. the morning commute shaping up to be a brutal one already. >> yeah, already and it's still early and many kids are off for spring break. nonetheless you want to give yourself plenty of time and stay alert out there. take a look at your radar lit up like a christmas tree with the heaviest downpours coming through the south bay and the east bay. let's take it live and show you what your highways look like. golden gate bridge just getting soaked at this point. we have heavy rain just about everywhere and that's going to continue to be the case the next couple of hours. switching gears now, let's tell

you about how all this wet weather, gusty winds are impacting your drive. we already have a couple of incidents to report, starting with a tree down. this is reported near highway 17 at bear creek road. now, reportedly the tree is not on highway 17, but you are going to find numerous lanes on bear creek blocked, at least the next few minutes. bob redell is headed out live to that scene and we'll have an update coming up there. there's a crash with an overturned vehicle 580 westbound. a car blocking two lanes. these are just the two that i can get to right now. give yourself plenty of time. it's a dangerous morning out there and we want you to get to work safely. now back to you two. a new effort is under way to raise $1 billion to protect the bay shoreline and prevent flooding. bob redell is live with more on the call to restore our wetlands and build new levees. good morning, bob. >> reporter: good morning, laura. part of the problem is that the berms that are holding back the

bay are 100 years old and are at risk of collapse. that's why small communities like where i'm at is vulnerable to flooding from not only berm collapse but from rising sea levels as well, you can take a look at this map we put together. there's 40,000 acres of shoreline here in the bay area, a lot of it in the south bay and on the peninsula that are at risk threatening the campuses of tech giants like facebook and yahoo!. some areas are 13 feet below sea level. so later this morning senator dianne feinstein is expected to announce a new partnership between government and private groups, one that will try to raise $1 billion to fix this problem along the bay area shorelines. that money would be used to replace the berms with new levees. the berms, which were built to contain the salt ponds were never meant for use in flood control. this is not going to happen overnight. it will take about ten years to

raise that money and also tie into the greater project of restoring a lot of these shorelines back to their natural wetlands. reporting live, i'm bob redell. it has been decades in the making and now construction will soon begin which will connect the south bay to b.a.r.t. stephanie is live in fremont with more details on today's ground-breaking ceremony. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, marla. you know, we've spoken with many commuters before who come from the south bay up here to fremont, the southernmost point you can hop onto b.a.r.t. and they talk about how difficult it is and how long it takes to get to work because they have to drive up here. this is supposed to relieve all of that for commuters and also some good news on the job front about that. now, the first step south is already under way. we're talking about the construction at the warm springs site in south fremont. that's slated to end in 2015. a year later is when the ten-mile extension from berryessa down -- for the berryessa extension project, i should say, from milpitas down

to north san jose is expected to open a year later and serve an average of 23,000 daily commuters, quite a big number, and that's just the first year alone and create an estimated 18,000 direct and indirect jobs. of course many of them in construction. federal to state and local leaders are getting ready to celebrate what is being touted as a transportation and economic connection decades in the making at today's ground-breaking. we're expecting former governor gray davis, senator dianne feinstein, local mayors, including san jose mayor chuck reed. the ground-breaking is set for 2:00 this afternoon on mayberry road just south of the berryessa site. if you're headed that way, be sure to take out your rain gear. new this morning, police are trying to track down whoever shot two men overnight on the streets of oakland. officers say the two men drove

themselves to the hospital after being shot on west street near 29th street overnight. neither was able to provide a description of a possible suspect. officers say the shooting may be related to an earlier shooting blocks away on myrtle street. in that case shots were reportedly fired at a woman but no one was hurt. special technology is being used now in the search for missing morgan hill teenager sierra lamar. santa clara county deputies are using sonar equipment to scan nearby reservoirs. it's the same type of device used to find laci peterson when she vanished. hundreds of volunteers continue to help out in that search effort and they're now going door to door hoping someone will remember seeing lamar. >> the family just physically can't do it, it's just so mentally taxing. but they see 500 people come out looking, it brings their spirit up and say people really do care and it keeps their hope alive. >> lamar's family has created a

website called help us find sierra lamar. it has information about the case and how you can help with the search. vandals strike again at a south bay war memorial. one of the glass panels has been shattered again at the downtown san jose tribute to veterans of all wars. just last month, it was rededicated after several of the panels were smashed. yesterday new damage was spotted. this is going to cost about $5,000 to repair. police are searching for suspects. two brothers from seaside missing in big sur have been found, but only one of them is returning home alive. 61-year-old mike marshall was last seen on march 31st when he became separated from a friend while hiking. his older brother, fred marshall, got lost while searching for mike last week. yesterday crews discovered mike's body in the little sur river. crews found fred nearby alive and in good condition.

certainly a rare sight here in california as a twister touches down in the central valley. take a look. forecasters now confirm this is an f-1 tornado that struck just south of stockton wednesday afternoon. it tipped over an empty tractor-trailer and destroyed a shed with winds estimated at about 90 miles per hour. here's the thing, no one was hurt. since 1950, about 350 tornados have been recorded in california. >> busy weather morning out there as well affecting the morning commute. it's 5:07. let's check in with meteorologist christina loren. >> oh, you guys, it is going to be one of those mornings. you want to give yourself plenty of extra time. once you make your way out that front door, make sure you are alert. dangerous conditions out there. we've got lightning, thunder and heavy rain at this point. i set your radar back about three hours because you can see vividly here it wasn't just the south and the east bay getting that rain.

we had heavy rain roll through the north bay so highways are nice and slick. this front will move through very quickly. in fact by i think about 8:00 a.m. it will mostly be in the central valley but take a look at what just developed over santa cruz. we've got heavy downpours coming down and that's going to continuously be the case. i'm monitoring this line of thunderstorms. it's becoming more organized as we speak, so what we're expecting is this line is moving very quickly, about 19 minutes away from watsonville. it's going to be in gilroy in 31 minutes. when you have a strong line of thunderstorms like that, it forces the air with it. that means we'll see very gusty winds through that area. if you can postpone your travels, if you were headed towards watsonville, try to do so at least the next three hours and keep that in mind. as you can see we've got very rainy conditions just about all day long. i'll tell you what that means for the home opener, when we're going to get a break. that's in my next report. back to you guys. 5:08 right now. it's a new land with new opportunities, but some immigrant families in san

francisco wanted answers for a better education for their children. a group of latino immigrant parents will meet with city leaders and the school district later this afternoon. they'll talk about what they believe is a crisis in teaching of immigrant students. they want to tackle low academic performance, high dropout rates and the second lowest graduation rate in the city. a state lawmaker will ask for support today of a bill that would slash tuition costs for middle class families. state assembly speaker john perez will discuss his proposed middle class scholarship act this afternoon at uc berkeley. it would create an automatic scholarship for families earning less than $150,000 a year. uc students would save $8,000 each year. csu students would save about $4,000 a year. funding would come from eliminating the corporate tax break approved in 2009. this morning san francisco mayor ed lee is set to announce a new program to put young

people to work this summer. it's called the san francisco summer jobs initiative. it is expected to create 5,000 jobs an paid internships for young people, ages 14 to 24, with a focus on low income and disadvantaged youth. the program builds on the city's ongoing youth job efforts in response to president obama's challenge for more youth employment nationwide. this morning yet another bay area city is cracking down on lighting up. city leaders in san rafael may extend an existing smoking ban to include apartment buildings and some outdoor locations. city laws already prevent people from smoking indoors and in common areas at apartment complexes. the city council is looking at banning smoking in most apartments and buildings with 16 or more units. they are also looking at banning smoking in all outdoor dining areas, bus tops, atm machine lines and at public events except in designated areas. it is 5:10 right now. in just hours low income

families in the east bay will have a new place to seek health care. tonight a community open house will be held at a brand new 17,000 square foot clinic on sierra road. it replaces a much smaller facility. it is expected to serve 15,000 patients every year. 68 full-time employees will work there. it is 5:11 now. still ahead, booted from the broadcast booth. a long-time radio announcer breaks his silence on his sop's dismissal from bay area air waves. and the most talked-about haircut since the rachel. we'll show you tim lincecum's new locks just ahead. and here's a live look from the marin headlands, that famous shot of the golden gate bridge. just a gorgeous morning out there. it looks to be, but you know what, heavy rain coming down throughout the bay area. we will check that forecast with meteorologist christina loren when we come back. stay with us. consider this -- a mouthwash with maximum fluoride,

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good morning to you. here's a nice shot of san francisco's embarcadero on this rainy thursday morning. it is 5:14. one of the bay area's most familiar voices on the radio silent this morning. knbr parting ways with long-time host ralph barbieri. the station didn't elaborate on the move but overnight he did by issuing a statement saying i've heard it said this was an amicable parting. that is not exactly the case. he says he was blindsided by the

dismissal. he had been with knbr for 28 years. he's best known for the drive-time show the razor. his on-air partner will host the show solo. last year he revealed that he was diagnosed with parkinson's disease, but so far they were not giving up the reasons for the sudden dismissal. they scraped by to get how and now the san jose sharks are getting ready to take center ice in the stanley cup playoffs tonight. they have made it to the playoffs 13 "the new york times" the -- times. the team has never made it to the cup. the sharks almost missed the playoffs this year before rallying the last two weeks of the season. the puck drops at 4:30 our time in st. louis and the sharks take on the blues. you can catch it all on comcast sportsnet california. 5:15 right now. just a few blocks away from the shark tank the san jose giants getting ready to play ball. the minor league baseball team opening its 25th anniversary season tonight at 7:00 at

municipal stadium on alma avenue downtown. they're going to be taking on the blaze. look at those future hitters there. win or lose, the team says there will be fireworks immediately afterwards up t. up the road, at at&t park, the giants getting ready for the home opener against the pittsburgh pirates. the first pitch is thrown at 1:35. speaking of the black and orange, have you seen the new ha haircut tim lincecum has been sporting? we can't say the new haircut is short, but it's definitely shorter. he got the haircut during the team's off day on tuesday. plenty of people speculating it is the reason for last night's thrash buying the colorado rockies. they lost 17-8. just in case you were a little worried lincecum's new do is the only hair news from the orange and black, we're told b.w., brian wilson's beard, is still very much intact. >> although it's pretty trimmed up in that shot.

we'll see how it looks. hopefully not gnarly like the weather. >> let's go ahead and show you the radar. nothing speaks louder this morning than your radar, lit up like a christmas tree. look at all that red that just developed along the foothills. yeah. the western-facing foothills surrounding san jose just getting slammed. and we also have gusty winds really starting to pick up, so it's one of those mornings you want to leave early if you have to leave. i say if you're waking up with us in san jose or livermore, postpone your travels at least the next couple of hours. if you do have to get out there, make sure you're alert. look at santa cruz just getting slammed. we're monitoring a very strong line of showers and thunderstorms becoming more and more organized. it's on its way to morgan hill, so count on very gusty winds, heavy downpours, even pea-size hail possible as we head throughout the morning hours. by about 10:00, shower activity becomes lighter action becomes more spotty and we get another round of rain as we head through

your morning drive tomorrow, so you want to pack your patience this morning and tomorrow as well. it's going to be a rough morning commute, even with spring break still in session for many students across the bay area. i stop the clock at 7:00 p.m. friday. that's when it looks like things will get much better around here, the drying pattern starts. however, we'll see enough moisture come through the bay area on friday. i do believe that rain will delay the giants game. i know, i know, i think it's going to be delayed, not a rainout. 61 degrees in san jose today, 58 degrees in san francisco. drying out saturday and sunday, warming you up. 70s, spring-like conditions. yep, you can expect that as we head through the weekend. so the good news is we're not going to be dealing with the rain all that much longer, but you want to give yourself lots of extra time to reach your destination safely this morning. switching gears now, we gave mike the day off. he's with his kids. and i think they're off for spring break, so hopefully he'll be back on monday. los gatos, a downed tree just off of highway 17.

it's not on highway 17. you're going to find that blocking all lanes on bear creek so your alternate is going to be alma college road. also we've got a new accident to tell you about. this one is in the south bay. a vehicle went into a wall, probably lost control of that vehicle due to the slick conditions. we don't know for sure. that's highway 120 eastbound at yosemite blocking the right-hand shoulder. back to you, ladies. a look at early futures shows wall street appears to be snapping its five-day slump. for more on that and the rest of the news before the bell, we turn to jackie deangeles live at cnbc headquarters. >> reporter: good morning, laura. futures are higher this morning after wall street broke its five-day losing streak yesterday. chalk that up to alcoa's positive earnings report and easing in european government bond deals and a report from the fed that the economy is growing at a moderate pace in all parts of the country. we saw the asian markets rising overnight. in the u.s. we'll get some information on the unemployment

and the trade deficit. the dow was up 89, the nasdaq up 25. meantime samsung taking another stab at breaking apple's dominance in the tablet market. they are updating the galaxy device with several new features, including an infrared eye that lets it act as a universal remote. it will be available in stores in the next few weeks. finally, teens aren't just worried about finding a prom date or getting into the right college anymore, they're also concerned about their financial future. a new survey by junior achievement finding that 56% of high school-age kids believe they'll be as well or better off financially than their parents, but that's down from 89% who thought so last year. the majority of teens don't think they'll be financially independent until they're at least 25. only a quarter say they're learning how to manage their money in school. that's down from 58% last year. laura, back over to you. >> interesting. i just had that conversation with my 16-year-old niece. thanks so much.

it is 5:20. a world renowned violinist is hoping to hit the right tune over an age-old problem. he will be dropping by the ucsf campus later today. he's going to meet with a 101-year-old professor who specializes in treating arthritis. now, pearlman has a personal interest in arthritis because his daughter suffers from it. the two are going to talk about public policy on the chronic disease. it just so happens to be that the professor also plays the violin. the front man for one of the biggest rock bands in history is saying no to a top honor. axl rose from guns and roses says he will not show up for his band's induction into the rock 'n' roll hall of fame. it appears bad blood between former band members is still lingering, rose continues to front the band but with an entirely new cast. guns and roses took the u.s. by storm during the late 1980s. >> would you believe that i'm a big g & r fan. >> i would.

>> 5:21. coming up, fighting the force. why a north bay community is begging george lucas to come back to the bargaining table. plus putting the parks in parking spaces. the new pilot program making oakland a little more green. when i take a picture of this check, it goes straight to the bank. oh. oh look the lion is out! no mommy no! don't worry honey, it only works on checks. deposit checks from your smartphone with chase quickdeposit. just snap a picture, hit send and done. take a step forward and chase what matters.

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welcome back. here's a live look at the bay bridge on this very rainy, very busy outside in terms of the forecast and the morning commute. we'll check both with meteorologist christina loren in just a moment. it is 5:24. >> all that rain is good for making things grown and it works for san francisco. now oakland trying its hand at

making city streets a little greener. they are launching a program designed to help businesses transform parallel parking spaces into miniature parks. the first parklets will be finished this late may or early june. two businesses have already applied for permits to build some parklets at two locations. alcatraz avenue and san pablo avenue and 40th street near webster street. 5:25. the marin county empire strikes back, offering big incentives to get george lucas back in the film studio game. earlier this week lucas announced he's pulling the plug on a proposed compound over complaints by neighbors about the environmental impact. here's what the production studio would have looked like in lucas valley. trying to lure lucas valley, marin county supervisors are promising to help block any lawsuits by neighbors who approved the project without restrictions. it is 5:25 right now. still ahead, a pointed attack. the search for a woman who used

her stiletto as a weapon. and we're monitoring a severe line of showers and thunderstorms rolling through the bay area right now. we'll let you know what this is doing to your morning commute and when you might be able to get outside. we're also keeping an eye on that giants forecast home opener tomorrow at at&t park. all that coming up when nbc bay area news this morning comes right back. ♪

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creamy, dreamy peanut butter taste in a tempting new cereal. mmm! [ female announcer ] new multi-grain cheerios peanut butter. it will give commuters an alternative decades in the making. the ground-breaking today for the b.a.r.t. extension into the south bay. plus a bar brawl turns deadly. the search for the suspects who brought guns to a fistfight. a stormy morning throughout the bay area could make for a very tough commute. we've got a look at all of it for you on this thursday, april 12th. this is "today in the bay."

good morning to you and thanks for joining us. it's 5:28 right now. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm marla tellez in for jon kelley today. we want to get straight to that busy forecast with meteorologist christina loren. she is running all over the newsroom and the weather center today. >> we gave mike the day off, you know. where are you now? we actually have a lot of severe weather to tell you about this morning. heavy rain, reports of hail and thunder rolling through the south bay right now. gilroy is getting slammed. santa cruz as well as morgan hill. we've got more rain on the way as we head throughout the morning hours. as a result of this heavy downpours and gusty winds, just as a lot of people are making their way off to work we have many incidents to report in the traffic department. we have reports of a box truck on its side northbound 680

between capital and berryessa road. reports at least two lanes are blocked through here and delays are stacking up as we speak. keep that in mind. we'll be watching your drive and your commute and that weather, how it's impacting both. back to you ladies. 5:30 right now. an important step today towards bringing b.a.r.t. to the south bay. stephanie trong joins us live from the fremont b.a.r.t. station with details about the ground-breaking that will officially launch construction. a lot of people waiting a while for this one. >> absolutely. this is the first physical sign that this project we've been talking about for decades is finally going to happen. right now, as you know, fremont, the b.a.r.t. station here is the southernmost point, but the steps down south are already under way with the construction at the warm springs site in south fremont already under way. now, the ten-mile berryessa extension project would go from that site down to milpitas and then the berryessa stop in san

jose. in the first year alone it is estimated to serve an estimated 23,000 passengers. the hope is to relieve that notorious congestion of 680 and 880 and to help commuters around the bay area. >> you know, it also would help people that are trying to save gas and everything, how gas prices are going up. i think it will work out. >> and it's great news for job seekers as well. we're talking about 18,000 direct and indirect jobs resulting from this project. for the ground breaking this afternoon at 2:00, we are expecting federal, state and local officials. this will happen just south of that planned berryessa site. there's also an 11:30 celebration this morning. we are expecting people who fought for this project, including some congressmen. it is 5:31 right now. this morning police are on the hunt for a group of men involved in a deadly brawl at a bar near

travis air force base. two men were shot in the head. one was killed, the other was rushed to the hospital. that shooting happened just before 9:00 outside a fairfield bar called perk place. officers think a fight broke out between two groups of men. things escalated and ultimately someone started shooting. police say they're looking for more than one suspect. they don't think anyone from the air force base was involved. a stiletto to the skull. san francisco police are searching for a woman who beat a man with her high-healeled shoe. it happened near the corner of greenwich and fillmore streets. the man bashed him over the head after he tried to break up a fight involving one of the woman's friends. police say they know who the woman is but have not been able to find her just yet. bar owners will have a chance to vent tonight over a proposed crackdown on their businesses. the city wants all alcohol-serving establishments to comply with new

nuisance-based performance standards. some owners say it would jeopardize profits and even shut them down. the city has been searching to solutions for a late-night spike in violence in the downtown area. a neighborhood says it doesn't want friday night lights in its backyard. the sequoia union high school district in belmont plans to install 70-foot light poles at each corner of the football field by this fall. the project also calls for a new p.a. system with large speakers but a group of neighbors concerned about the noise is fighting back. they have hired a lawyer to try to limit how often the school can use the new equipment. construction is expected to begin this summer. all right, 5:33 right now. a stormy morning over many parts of the bay area this morning could affect your morning commute. we want to check in with meteorologist christina loren. you've been running this morning. >> i've been running. yeah, we have a lot of rain on the radar this morning and you don't want to go racing out the front door. you want to give yourself plenty of extra time. take a look at that very

organized line of showers and thunderstorms right now getting ready to slam salinas. that's headed off to the northeast as we head throughout the next few hours so you can imagine slick conditions just about everywhere with the heaviest rainfall concentrated over the south bay. so we're timing that system out for you. just six minutes away from rio del mar. so weather headlines tell the story for today. heavy rain through 10:00 a.m. this afternoon we'll see spotty showers, blustery conditions. those winds will whip all day long and by tomorrow dealing with the rain. i do believe that giants home opener will be delayed but not cancelled. we'll take you to the forecast. first we want to update you on your drive this morning. watching a couple of incidents. there's a box truck on its side northbound 680 between capital avenue and berryessa. bob redell is on his way to the scene and we'll have an update for you live coming up. so that's traffic. make sure you give yourself plenty of time. back to you. >> thank you. it is 4:34 right now.

the city of oakland collecting a chunk of change from microsoft. microsoft will pay more than $200,000 as a settlement in a class action lawsuit. the lawsuit accused microsoft of charging inflated prices on software by holding a monopoly on the industry. in all, microsoft will shell out $70 million to all the california cities and counties that were listed in that suit. 5:35. it appears oakland is running away with some much-needed profits. the city took in more than $3 million from last month's oakland running festival. a study found runners and visitors from outside the bay area each spent almost $200 during their stay. the event also generated $300,000 in state and local taxes. local charities also benefited as the event contributed $300,000. >> i'm sure they bought a lot of food. they're hungry. >> a lot of pasta there. 5:35 right now.

coming up, pointing fingers on hot button issues. a live report as the presidential race is heating up gens once again. plus justice for trayvon. a florida community torn apart as a neighborhood watchman heads to court. and for the latest news, traffic, weather, good conversation, find us on facebook at nbc bay area.c hey guys, breakfast! ♪ [ female announcer ] if whole grain isn't the first ingredient in your breakfast cereal, what is? now, in every box of general mills big g cereal, there's more whole grain than any other ingredient. that's why it's listed first on the side. from honey nut cheerios to cinnamon toast crunch to lucky charms, get more whole grain than any other ingredient...

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welcome back, everyone. a live look outside. san francisco, beautiful out there but, boy, is it a stormy morning across the bay area. the radar showing strong storms coming through many parts, could affect your morning commute. we've got a look at all the bad roadways out there. 5:38. well, soon it will cost you more to upgrade your phone if you are a verizon customer. verizon wireless says it will start charging $30 every time a customer wants to upgrade to a new phone. verizon is introducing the fee as more companies are seeing

their profits cut by the cost of subsidizing smart phones. smartphones typically cost more than what they sell for in stores. the new fees go into effect april 22nd. according to a new survey you may not be getting the most bang for your buck when it comes to your tax refunds. liberty tax service and career builders say only 20% of taxpayers reported that they have claimed work-related expenses on their taxes. oar items you might not know you could claim include continued education and travel to work at different locations. and gas prices will continue to creep up during the peak summer driving season. the energy department is predicting motorists will pay an average of 24 cents more for regular gasoline this summer than last year. the agency says the west coast will be shelling out the most during the peak driving season with an average of $4.20 per gallon. happening now, a delicate cease-fire in syria appears to

be holding. no reports of major violence this morning. syrian government has promised to observe a u.n. brokered peace plan. more than 3,000 people have died during the more than one-year-old uprising. the white house remains cautious after syrian president bashar assad had broken previous cease-fires. and it is a waiting game in north korea as the world waits to see if the country will launch its latest rocket. liftoff is expected sometime within the next few days. the international community is condemning what it calls proactive action. it says the launch would violate a u.n. resolution banning the country from developing nuclear weapons and a missile program. now on to decision 2012. this morning the presidential field is narrowing but the campaign rhetoric is certainly getting fired up. tracie potts joins us live on capitol hill this morning. top candidates seem to be honing in on two topics, women and the economy. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, laura.

that's right. mitt romney says that almost all the jobs lost under the obama administration belonged to women. meantime president obama says that voters should take a very close look at romney' positions on women's health issues. the anti-abortion national right to life coalition announces its presidential endorsement today decided after rick santorum left the race. the obama campaign has been attacking mitt romney on women's issues. take a look at this ad. >> do i believe supreme court should overturn roe v. wade. >> planned parenthood, we're going to get rid of this. >> reporter: but romney pushed back. >> this is a president who has explaining to do to the women of america. this president's economic policies have failed american women. >> reporter: a conservative pro-romney group is putting this ad on the air also, trying to turn the focus back to the economy and the president's energy policy. >> no matter how obama spins it, gas costs too much. >> reporter: the right has accused president obama of class

warfare by pitching the so-called buffet rule, requiring millionaires to pay a 30% minimum in taxes. >> we can't afford to keep spending more money on tax cuts for wealthy americans who don't need them and weren't even asking for them. >> reporter: now, keep in mind the president pitched this to a room full of executives who brought along their secretaries. warren buffett says he's paying less taxes than his own secretary, laura. >> very interesting, the women vote. here's a sight you don't see too often, the tea party demonstrating in san francisco. it's taking part in what it calls a tax day to coincide with the upcoming tax deadline. the group says higher taxes are hurting job creation and the recovery from a slumping economy. the neighborhood watch captain who shot and killed a florida teenager will make his first court appearance this morning. prosecutors announced yesterday they were charging george zimmerman with second-degree

murder for the shooting death of trayvon martin. zimmerman had been hiding since the shooting but is now behind bars. his new attorney says he will likely enter a plea at today's hearing. >> you plead not guilty presently and that keeps the process moving forward until you figure out what's going on. >> reporter: zimmerman's attorney will be seeking a bond that will allow zimmerman to be released as the proceedings progress. zimmerman claims he shot martin during a scuffle and it was in self defense. this morning we're learning about two college students shot and killed in their car near the university of southern california. last night hundreds gathered on campus for a candlelight vigil. the couple was sitting inside a bmw after midnight wednesday when a suspect approached them and began firing. 23-year-old ying wu was found dead in the passenger seat. ming chu was shot and killed

while running for help. students who knew them are devastated. >> we have the community and each other. >> she was a good friend and a good girl. >> the shooting may have been the result of a robbery or carjacking attempt. so far no one is in custody. also in los angeles, dramatic video showing the moments before a police pursuit turned deadly on 101. police were chasing this car through a stretch of highway in the san fernando valley when the driver stopped the car, jumped out and pointed something at the officers. that's when police started firing, killing the suspect on the spot. officers are still trying to figure out why the man was on the run in the first place. 5:44, new this morning a strong earthquake jolted people out of bed near the gulf of california just hours after a separate quake swayed tall buildings in mexico city. the u.s. geological survey reports a 6.9 magnitude quake hit the waters between the baja

peninsula and the northern state of donora just after midnight local time. that follows a 6.4 shaker that struck the mountains of western mexico on wednesday causing plenty of shaking in cities up to 200 miles away from the epicenter. just yesterday an 8.6 quake and an 8.2 aftershock rattled the coast of sumatra in the indian ocean. overnight many people in the country's west banda aceh province chose to spend the night in tents, shelter centers and mosques. many fled their homes leaving their belongings behind as they raced to higher ground. tsunami warnings were raised as far away as africa but the waves never arrived. the 5.6 earthquake hit off the coast of oregon. there are no reports of damage. we do have a lot going on here in the bay area this morning. so much with the rain coming down affecting the morning

commute as well. it's been a busy one for you. >> i'm covering traffic as well and there's so many flooding reports. at this point i don't even have time to list them all for you. so you just want to keep in mind, you're going to find areas of ponding and deep puddles all across the bay area. take a look at what has come through the past three hours. heavy downpours. right now the heaviest rain concentrated over the western-facing foothills near san jose. morgan hill getting slammed, same for gilroy. if you have to hit the pacheco pass any time soon, if you can, please postpone your travels because we've got severe weather rolling through there at this point. the front is moving through fast so we're actually almost out of the woods when it comes to the heavier rain but we've already had reports of hail, lightning this morning, so you want to take it easy out there. some cities actually picked up an inch and a half just this morning. so as you can imagine, flood reports coming this as we speak. morgan hill right now just getting drenched. same for gilroy. still have some moderate cells rolling through but you're

getting a break from the heavy stuff. 11:00 a.m. is when it starts to turn a little more spotty. rather light between 11:00 and 6:00. so if you do have outdoor activities you need to take care of, go ahead and do so but wait until after 11:00. 6:00 a.m. we've got another round of heavy rain to get through and then the home opener, at&t park, 1:00 p.m. our giants back. well, i think we're going to see a little bit later start than planned with showers continuing all the way through about 1:00 p.m. stop the clock on your futurecast. 7:00 p.m. friday is when conditions really start to improve. boy 5:00 a.m. saturday, you can get on outside and enjoy clear, dry conditions. 61 degrees today in san jose but warm enough for afternoon thunderstorms to develop. as we head through this weekend, we'll be up to 71 degrees sunday and then fair weather extends well into next week. if you have the kids at home with you for spring break, you can get them outdoors this weekend. you're going to get two great

days to do so. let's switch gears and talk about your drive. a box truck on its side northbound 680 between capital avenue and berryessa road. our own bob redell is live there, he's going to have a live report for us in just a moment. at least two lanes blocked. we have reports, though, delays backed up beyond a mile so we look forward to seeing that live. there's a tree down highway 17 at bear creek road. reportedly this is not blocking 17. bear creek road, though, all lanes closed. we will continue to update you, flooding throughout the bay area, travel cautiously. back to you ladies. it's 5:48 right now. new details this morning about the chaotic moments the night whitney houston died in a beverly hills hotel room. >> the person that called me was irate and i couldn't get much out of her. i got security going there now. >> okay. we'll send police and fire over there with a person not breathing. did it sound like the person was still not breathing? >> yeah, that's correct. >> whitney houston's body was found in a bathtub they beverly

hills hotel in february. houston's death is now officially case closed with the coroner ruling it as an accidental drowning. investigators found no evidence of foul play, but traces of cocaine were found in houston's system. well, she's given it some thought and now kim kardashian has decided not to press charges against the woman who flour bombed her last month. the reality star was at the promotional launch of her fry grans when a peta activist poured a bag of flour over kardashian's head. she was considering filing a police report against the activist but eventually decided it would be more trouble than it is worth. it has finally happened. pop singer marc anthony has filed for divorce from his wife, actress and singer jennifer lopez. anthony filed the petition in los angeles superior court under his legal name, marco mun yez. he also wants joint legal and physical custody of the couple's 4-year-old twins.

the couple announced back in july they were separating. 5:49. coming up, showing some restraint. a new report that could make you rethink how you install the safety gear used to protect your kids on the road. plus soaring to new heights. breaking ground on the world's tallest building. this is a live look at the traffic heading through san rafael, highway 101 traffic seems to be mtoving ausng fine. christina has her eyes set on the forecast and the roads today. stay with us. s: chevron with techron. care for your car.

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(woman) and it has to end, but it starts with us. i knew someday i was gonna do this walk. 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... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. welcome back, everyone. boy, certainly a stormy morning across the bay area as we take a couple of live looks outside this morning. this over san francisco. we are seeing reports of a lot of rainfall.

take a look at the golden gate bridge this morning. traffic appears to be right there with the rain coming down. it is wreaking havoc on many other roadways. some lanes closed on northbound 680 this morning. christina loren pulling double duty this morning, taking a look at the morning forecast and the morning commute. certainly stay tuned for that. 5:53 right now. a new study out this morning shows how important it is for children to be in a properly installed child seat, no matter how frustrating it is to install them. the latch restraint system is a requirement on mostly every vehicle made since 2002. however, it's not always easy to install the child seat correctly. the study blames poor design by automakers for having seat belt buckles blocking the access to the anchor that holds the seat in place. the parents are not out of the clear yet. some don't always use the tether from the top of the seat. >> we think many parents may believe the tether is optional,

but it isn't optional, it's absolutely essential to getting the best protection from a forward-facing child seat. >> to prove how essential it is, the crash tests demonstrate what happens if the tether is not used. >> they are tough. a new study finds nearly one in four babies are now born to unmarried couples who are living together. the centers for disease control study was based on interviews with more than 20,000 couples between 2006 and 2010. about 23% of the reported births were to unwed cohabitating couples, that's up 14% from a similar study done back in 2002. 5:54. a developer has some really high hopes. he plans to build the world's tallest bidding. it would be 3,445 feet tall. now, the world's tall ex structure is now the to your in dubai standing over 2,700 feet

tall. the first stage of the skyscraper is expected to be done by 2016 and the entire complex ready by 2025. >> don't be afraid of heights if you go up there. don't be afraid of the morning commute out there, although you should probably add a little extra time because reports of a lot of hydroplaning. let's check in with meteorologist christina loren that. rain is coming down. >> it really is, especially through the construction zones. you want to take it easy. you may not see that area of ponding or the puddle before you and, boom, just like that you lose control of your vehicle. make sure you're alert out there. in addition to the heavy rainfall that has already come through, right now concentrated over the south bay, we have very gusty winds as the system exits and pushes into the central valley. and we're expecting pop-up thunderstorms throughout the day. so it will be an active weather day all across the bay area. temperatures will be cold enough to warrant a jacket just about all day with rain-cooled air on and off. take a look at this, morgan hill, 101 between morgan hill

and gilroy just getting slammed at this point. if you can postpone your travels there, try to do so. we also have heavy rain still coming down on 580 through livermore so take it easy through there. temps ending up in the 50s. we will continue to track these showers and thunderstorms throughout the morning and let you know when you get a break. >> thank you very much. wouldn't you like to head to hawaii? a group of elephants in hawaii needed to lose a little weight so the zoo gave them a little room to exercise. each of the pachyderms at the honolulu zoo has lost about 300 pounds since they moved into their new habitat. nearly ten times the size of their old enclosure and now they have plenty of room to move around freely. to put it in perspective, their weight loss is about six pounds for a 200-pound person. supposedly they were spreading out the food for them so they were forced to walk around a little bit more, get a little movement going.

so taking in the calories, shedding a little weight. >> no step classes for them. >> that would be some step. better be a strong step. 5:56. coming up, an overturned box truck blocking freeway lanes right now in the south bay. delays on the scene. we have bob redell there just ahead. taking a live look at the bay bridge this morning, we are keeping tabs on the morning commute throughout the bay area for you. of course all thosehonai sho sre coming down. 5:57 right now. as a fashion blogger,

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heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail rolling through the bay area. we'll let you know what you need to know before heading out the front door this morning. >> reporter: and i'm bob redell. it appears this wet weather has already caused one serious accident here in the south bay. we'll have the latest coming up. and a historic