new this morning, the man accused of kidnapping sierra lamar has his first appearance in court as her family speaks out about the case. the message they have for that suspect. also, 16 hours and millions of dollars, president obama finishing up his fund-raising swing through the bay area this morning. where he'll be this morning. and where is the best place in the country to raise your kids? south bay home to one of the top ten. and that is the golden gate bridge, you can count one set of headlights right there. there's taillights too. it's thursday, may 24th. wow, we're smokin, "today in the bay."

good morning, everybody, it's almost 4:31 in the morning, i'm jon kelley. >> and i'm laura garcia canon. let's check that forecast. good morning to you. temperatures this morning are all over the place. take a look at this. napa's at 46. 12 degrees warmer in santa rosa, 58 degrees. here in san jose, starting out with 54 degrees w. we have changes on the way. a cooler afternoon and rain in less than 24 hours. we'll take you through that forecast, but first, let's check your drive with mike. >> all right. we'll look over to highway 4 westbound. too early to show most of our typical slowing in the westbound direction. but there's an accident clearing at port chicago highway approaching 242. this should clear in the next few minutes. we are looking at a little slower drive, though. look at these sensors messed up. i'll fix that, but we do have no slowing for the sensors to show, eight westbound, eastbound there's a closure. back on to the freeway, the

detour is posted, folks. it's going to be something higher than just squares, guys. back to you. >> thank you very much. well, the morgan hill man accused of kidnapping and killing sierra lamar making his first court appearance later this afternoon. torres will be arraigned on murder and kidnapping charges in superior court. sheriff and investigators believe they have gathered direct and circumstantial evidence showing that garcia-torres killed lamar. he was arrested at a safeway where he worked. sierra's family says they're focused on the search and they had words for the accused kidnapper. >> he needs to help us by saying where sierra is. we want to find sierra. and that's the primary thing we want right now. >> you can't get out of this now. you're going to be locked up forever. at least give the family

something, you know. we just want to know where she is. >> volunteers will continue searching for sierra. however, her mother has asked them to take the memorial day weekend off to spend time with their families. 4:33. president obama wraps up his bay area visit with one final stop this morning at the fairmont in downtown san jose. he'll attend a breakfast fundraiser with a price tag of nearly $36,000 a seat. last night he received a warm welcome in redwood city. people held up their cell phones and cameras hoping to snap the picture of the president as he greeted supporters. he's not the only one cashing in on the california atm. just few miles a i way from where the president was raking in contributions, a high-powered republican was on his own campaign crusade. >> reporter: the audience here in redwood city didn't know what to expect when the president came to town. he talked about a lot of things. the economy, jobs, and gay rights. he also talked about winning a second term.

>> reporter: the president already on the world stage walked on stage at redwood city's historic fox theater. it's the first time the president who normally attends fundraisers in san francisco or silicon valley when he's here in town. in the beginning, middle, and end of his speech, there was no doubt why he was in the bay area. he was here to make a strong bid for a second term. >> a crisis this deep didn't happen overnight. and it's not going to be solved overnight. so we've got more work to do. we know that. and that's why this year's so important. >> reporter: you don't have to be a democrat to know that california is where the money is. house speaker john boehner was also in the bay area tonight at a $35,000 a plate fundraiser in wood side. president obama was also in southern california earlier this

month at actor george clooney's home. there he raised some $15 million. in redwood city, "today in the bay." plenty of people gathered outside the theater, as well hundreds of people who didn't have a ticket lined up to voice their concerns. many supporters and protesters held signs and a word or two of advice for the president. >> you know, what people earn should be theirs to decide what they want to do with it. not to earn it, take it away and give it to people who aren't working. >> i came from a fundraiser for music for my school. and it's really rocky and i hope they focus on that. >> the president was at the fox theater for less than an hour. short, but expensive visit for redwood city. the city will not be reimbursed for security costs. mitt romney discussing education today and making promises on how many people he'd put back to work. romney vowing if elected he'll deliver a 6% unemployment rate by the end of his first term.

today he'll be visiting a charter school in philadelphia laying out his solution to what he calls a national education emergency. >> imagine if your enterprise had a 25% or 50% failure rate in meeting its goal, you'd consider that a crisis. as president i'm going to give the parents of every low income and special needs student the chance to choose where their child goes to school. >> president obama's had a slight edge in most major popular polls, but not quite enough to break what for now is considered a tie. 4:36 right now. the coast guard will lift its temporary ban on open ocean racing today. the ban went into effect after five people died in a sailboat racing tragedy off the islands last month. the coast guard will announce the formation of an offshore racing council as well as a number of new rules. still unclear whether it'll be mandatory for passengers to be

tethered to the sides of boats. there's a second bay area man now accused of switching bar codes on lego sets and there's a warrant out for his arrest. donald morales, a san francisco man failed to show up for his court hearing this week. we told you about another lego scam earlier this week involving thomas lengenbach, he was caught on camera switching codes on lego sets and buying them at discounts. he then sold them online for big money. the district attorney says there's no direct connection between morales and lengenbach. well, the coast guard putting out warnings out for boaters in the san francisco bay this weekend. turning 75 this weekend, and on sunday night, there'll be a fireworks display over that bridge. the coast guard establishing a safety zone in the water running from the bridge east to the golden gate yacht club. the boaters will not be allowed in that safety zone without

permission on sunday night. >> what a celebration too. 75 years old. >> wow. party. >> always. and it is, as well, when we see christina. >> almost friday. >> a rager. a rager. good morning to you. we've got a good-looking day shaping up. you've got that fireworks show. questionable as to how good our visibility is going to be. we will be talking about that and all about the golden gate bridge celebration as we head throughout the broadcast. but i do think your vision will not be absolutely perfect visibility won't be perfect as we head through sunday into monday. we have rain on the way. 51 degrees in san mateo, dry for the most part today, but winds will play a factor for the first part of the day. the west/southwest at 8 miles per hour. meanwhile, calm conditions from san jose to san francisco. as we head throughout the day, all works out like this. area of low pressure dives to the south. this is going to bring about showers as we head into your friday. showers over the greater bay area, not just up in the north

bay as we typically see when the systems come from the north. 72 degrees in san jose, 70 in fremont, about 8 degrees cooler than where we ended up yesterday. as we head through tomorrow, the showers arrive, i'll time them out to your doorstep. not expecting a lot, but here's what's interesting. we're going to see the system come in, cold core low could bring snow to sierra nevada just in time for the holiday weekend. we'll talk about that, snow levels, how much we're expecting up there. but first, we want to get you to work on a good note. >> good morning, christina. we'll take you to the south bay for a couple of things. one is an accident. this is san tomas expressway south of homestead road. and there has been a light pole hit by a car. and chp doesn't give any word about any signals being out. sounds like all the lights are on in the area. still crews out there. so expect some slowing there. we showed some blips on the freeway. southbound 880 at 17, there is a

construction crew, as well. connector's closed for another half hour. get a live look at downtown san jose. the roadway right in front of fairmont hotel. the restaurant there as well as the fairmont off to the left. and downtown area, avoid that area because there's a guest in town. good morning, mr. president, thank you for choosing nbc bay area. and the maps again, talking about the other accident. the westbound direction at port chicago, but we have the construction eastbound. we'll send it back to you guys. >> i like how you know where the restaurants are -- >> of course. >> 4:40 right now. good guy to know. there's a south bay city that's earned a spot among the top cities in nation for raising kids. sunnyvale came in at number seven on kiplinger's ten greatest cities to raise your kids. based on household income, families with children, and crime rates. number of playgrounds, parks, and libraries also played a role.

sunnyvale has earned several honors in the past including the title of the happiest place in america as well as one of the most inventive cities in the nation. and even the best place to date a nerd. >> all right. >> little something for everyone. >> back in my single days i might have had a shot -- >> you raise your kids, everyone's happy. >> perfect. nerds need love too. it's 4:41 right now. up next, high-tech turmoil. big-time layoff at hp. and a federal investigation into facebook's ipo, and there's talk the social network could leave the nasdaq. plus, a warning for your weekend travels. why experts say you should be extra careful at intersection. and the giants didn't get the sweep they were hoping for in the rocky. highlights coming up. >> that one was painful. and for all your news, weather, traffic, check us out se r ncebook. search nbc bay area. back in minutes. hey, your high speed internet here at home...

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welcome back, everybody. that's a lovely shot over san francisco. old glory blowing in the wind. the lights out there very colorful and hopefully the sun comes up soon. it usually does. it's 4:44. hewlett-packard admitting

it's making big cuts. 27,000 layoffs announced. the biggest job cuts in hp's 73-year history. cuts come to a company that's been weakened by the rise of smartphones and tablet computing. no word on how many of the layoffs will be in the bay area. after a dismal ipo, facebook might be getting out of the nasdaq. the rumor mill is spinning this morning. the latest from seema mody. good morning. >> yeah, that's right. good morning. another day and another twist in the facebook saga. denying reports of talks with facebook about transferring a stock lifting from the nasdaq. the "wall street journal" says facebook's underwriters, morgan stanley, goldman sachs, and jpmorgan have made $100 million in profits from stabilizing facebook's stock over the past few days. shares rose 3% yesterday, the bulk of that profit came monday when the banks bought stock below the $38 ipo price.

in terms of where the markets are at right now, futures are a touch lower after stocks staged a late-day turn around wednesday, the dow had been down on news that european leaders are preparing to exit the eurozone. europe may be the center of attention today. new data shows that german businesses are less confident in the country's economy. asia and europe are higher this morning, we also get data on unemployment and the demand for big ticket durable goods. the dow closing off just six points last night to 12,496. the nasdaq rising 11, and the s&p 500 adding two. >> thanks so much. we have a brief warning to be very aware of intersections this memorial weekend. make sure to watch out for drivers running the red lights. the study for the national coalition for safe roads finding more than 2 million drivers in eight states ran red lights over memorial weekend last year.

and the number was 27% higher than an average holiday weekend, as well. >> i am very anxious to talk to christina. you're talking a little rain. that's for tomorrow, though, right? >> yeah, i know, what is it today? >> between commercial breaks. >> she wants to know because you want to get outdoors this weekend, right? >> everybody does. >> you've got kids, you have an opportunity. triple check. and you know what? the weather is going to be pretty nice. she's right on point. we've got showers on the bay area. we need the rain only because it's going to help our air quality. i don't think we're going to measure precipitation in the south bay. burr each bay looking like the best chance for showers as we head to the second half of your friday. get ready for that. this morning, temperatures are in the 50s, in the 40s, but nice and mild in places like san jose where we are at 54 degrees. and 57 degrees, nice mild start for you up in novato.

the winds will become a factor as the area of low pressure comes onshore. we have been dealing with gusty winds, this morning, we're getting a little bit of a break. calm conditions at this time. the sea breeze will pick up. this afternoon, we will see gusts about 30 miles per hour down from the 60-mile-per-hour gusts over the past couple of days. mainly clear this morning, nice clear start because of the breezy conditions we had overnight. cooler today, clouds will increase as we head through the second half of the day. showers on the way and sierra snows, an area of low pressure. late season storm drops into the bay area. this will bring our temperatures down. it's going to keep our weather nice and active. and we're expecting showers. it all works out like this. stop the clock on your future cast. set into motion, here it goes, 9:00 a.m. thursday staying nice and clear. the clouds will start to thicken up throughout the second half of your afternoon. and by friday morning when we meet back here, 4:00 a.m. starting to get our first showers. looking more active throughout the second half of the day, but saturday, 24 hours later, 4:00

a.m., completely clear conditions. we're not going to have to deal with the rain all weekend long and temperatures will rebound nicely. just one cool winter-like day to get through as we round out the workweek. 72 degrees today in san jose, tomorrow, temperatures are going to drop off. your full forecast in moments. >> thank you very much, christina. i have a feeling you're not going to thank me for this. a sweep in milwaukee, but the brewers say, sorry, fella. ain't gonna happen. let's put it this way. not good. giving up six runs in the first ining is and gets worse. the brewers do more damage in the second. that's a two-run blast, 8-0, brewers in the second inning. giants rally hector sanchez, takes it for a ride, that's a three-run blast out to the outfield. giants trying to rally, then melky cabrera hits it out to left field. scores another one for the giants, too little, too late and good night, brewers win it 8-5.

in the meantime, the a's suffering another loss to the angels. a's tie the game at 1 in the sixth. until the 11th, they have runners at the corners, that brings home the winners. angels take it by final of 3-1. major shake-up at san jose state set to introduce the new athletic director. he had been chosen to lead spartan athletics. credited with turning boise state into a football power house during his three decades with the broncos. the announcement is set for 10:00 this morning. harvard alumni attending their 50th class reunion getting an unexpected update from one of their class mates. kisinski graduated in 1978. in a directory handed out during the reunion, he lists his

occupation as prisoner and under awards he lists eight life sentences. >> really? >> yeah. >> and the alumni association gets this saying it regrets the error. >> how does someone let that get in there? >> i don't know, i don't know. >> expect more from an ivy league school. still ahead on "today in the bay," is shaq making a comeback. well, the rumor mill spinning around. basketball superstar might be returning to the nba. might be a different role, but we'll let you know. the 2012 summer games haven't started, but three cities are making preparations for the 2020 olympics. >> and for some folks traveling in out of the east bay, no problem for 580, but we'll show you peninsula issues, possible slowdowns for you guys coming up.

and this is beautiful live look outside. bay bridge. all illuminated in its glory this morning. isn't it gorgeous? >> yes. >> nice day. it is 5:54 right now. here's a question, what does a 7-footman do as an encore of getting his doctorate? how about an nba comeback?

espn reporting o'neal could return as the new general manager. he'll discuss that job opening. as you'll recall, he signed on as a rookie with orlando, played the first four years before heading to the lakers to win world titles as a free agent. been a while, big man. >> he is a big man. we're just over two months away from the opening ceremonies for the summer olympics in summer. the international olympic committee announced this week that madrid, tokyo, and istanbul the finalists to host the 2020 games. about two more years to prepare for the finalist is announced in 2014. >> we'll have the 2012 olympics on nbc bay area. right now, here's what we're talking about. a little traffic. >> we saw london, we saw france, and now we see the peninsula. what? a little slow between willow and marsh. we have construction crews scheduled for that portion of

101 and likely moving in right now. that might be why both sides have seen slowing. only one or two lanes blocked, but also bright lights might be a concern. that construction crew has cleared. still have one-way traffic control for highway 92 just off of 280 and toward 35 and so that will be an issue heading over the hill or back over from half moon bay to 280. and a live look shows you no problems here, a clear view, and of course, we have all the activity on sunday, so a note ahead, it'll be closed for a short period while they have fireworks going on sunday night. >> thanks a lot, mike. 4:56 right now. a fullerton student walked away from the graduation ceremony with three "ds," degree, diploma, and a diamond. >> she thought she was surprising her friends and family members by organizing a flash mob dance. it was a way of thanking everybody. but she's the one that got the real surprise. her boyfriend stepping up, yes, to propose right in the middle

of the flash mob dance. her boyfriend unravelled that huge banner, asked her to marry him, and the good news is, she said yes. but it did take her a couple of minutes to figure out what was going on. once she did, she ran over to him, gave him a hug, some love, and holy matrimony. first comes love, then comes, marriage -- >> keep going. still ahead on "today in the bay." the man accused of kidnapping sierra lamar heads to court. more about the charges he could be facing. live at the courthouse with the latest.

when someone gives blood and a life is saved, that moment when heartbreak turns to hope, you're there through the american red cross. every day, the red cross responds to nearly 200 neighborhood emergencies. and your support makes it possible. use this moment to join us today. visit redcross.org. new this morning, the man accused of kidnapping and killing 15-year-old sierra lamar heads to court later today. i'm christie smith. coming up here, why one legal analyst believes part of this case may be tough to prove. and temperatures are cool to start, but we are headed towards the 70s this afternoon. you'll need that umbrella