>> reporter: breaking news on the bay bridge at this hour where police activity shuts down all lanes of the lower deck. i'm christie smith. we'll have the story coming up in a live report. >> plus, pablo san 0 balance's investigation. >> and the fireworks are over. the local businesses still have plenty to celebrate after the fourth of july. the economic boost from the holiday. >> a live look outside golden gate bridge. hope you had a safe and sane fourth of july. thursday, july 5th, this is "today in the bay." >> keep it safe. can't promise on the sane.

good morning. i'm jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. happening now, several danes on the bay bridge are closed for a police investigation. >> that is right. this is happening eastbound on the lower deck out of san francisco. christie smith is live on the scene. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, jon. right now you can see some of the police activity and lights on the lower deck of the bay bridge. in the distance there, just past the s curve. i spoke with an officer trying to get details on what's going on but they had shut down the entire lower deck, then allowed two lanes to reopen in the last couple of minutes, they started holding traffic right here so you can see at the on ramp the cars are not allowed through. i have called into the chp, not a lot of details, i'm told a spokesperson is on the way. but i did speak briefly with dispatch. they are telling me that this is a possible shooting incident and

could involve some sort of chase. this started about 1:30 this morning. i asked if they are looking for anyone at this point and they told me no. but at this point within the last couple of minutes i did see a fire truck come onto the lower deck of the bay bridge where most of the activity is. we're not seeing any cars get by. so i'm told san francisco police may be on the way out as well as the chp so as soon as we get an update we'll let you know. that's the latest. live on the bay bridge, christie smith, "today in the bay." >> thank you. >> let's check in with mike inouye. i know it's early out there, my man. i got to imagine this is not good. >> no, definitely not. you don't want problems on the connector between the east bay and the san francisco side. christie showed you the activity on the treasure island side, the lower deck east of there and saw all of the flares. she's saying traffic was stopped, look at the middle of the screen on the left side. you see those red lights, the

stop lights. they are all backed up because traffic did stop. we've seen this happen a few times over the last 20 minutes off and on. right now traffic is cut off between san francisco and the oakland side though chp sounds like they are going to open again. let's get back to the maps. out of san francisco, as you head over toward treasure island on the lower deck, the upper deck, your commute direction is okay so far. eastbound 80, looks like for the timing all lanes are blocked because of police activity. we'll follow up and christie will remain there as well. to christina for a look at today. >> let's get to the good news. temperatures are comfortable in the 50s, you might not need a jacket. i walk out my door with short sleeves, a cotton outfit on. 55 in livermore. 54 in gilroy.

dress for the hot day ahead. not as hot as the fourth of july. hope you had a clear shot of the fireworks last night. the weather held up and today we're going to cool you off. your full forecast is coming up. right now back to you and the rest of the top stories. >> jury deliberations resuming today in that william lynch trial. lynch accused of beating up father gerald lindner in 20010. he admits attacking the priest but did it because lindner sexually abused him as a boy. experts say the jury could be trying to decide between misdemeanor assault and felony assault. if convicted of a felony lynch face as maximum of four years behind bars. >> three of the four missing children from north oakland are safe this morning. those children ages 4, 6 and 7 all with relatives. police started searching for them on tuesday after officers found another child, a 3-year-old boy, with severe injuries consistent with abuse.

authorities had arrested the boy's mother, stepfather and babysitter. 16-year-old alijia marie johnson is still missing. >> it's 4:35. a teen charged with killing a sports star is street appear in court. the 18-year-old is accused of fatally stabbing another at a party. the star football player for newark memorial high school. he pleaded not guilty a murder count with gang enhancement. he is scheduled to appear during a preliminary hearing this afternoon at the fremont hall of justice. >> the family of a baseball fan who disappeared last week has some closure this morning. police confirmed that a body found in the water along the embarcadero early yesterday is 27-year-old victor mario. he disappeared june 25 after attending a giants/dodgers gape at at&t park. the discovery comes four days after his family carried out

their own search for him. >> more details expected in the sexual assault case against san francisco giant pablo sandoval. the department expected to release an update on the investigation a. 21-year-old woman claiming that the third baseman sexually assaulted her at a beach resort last month. investigators are questioning sandoval but he has not been charged. sandoval said he'sot worried about the outcome. his attorney insisting this encounter was consensual. >> the fireworks may be over but local businesses are celebrating the holiday. big crowds and big bucks. several charter companies sold out most cruises yesterday. business usually picks up this time of year. >> we're sold out for the fireworks, we've been selling out all day. so all of the boats are pretty much fool. we do this every year. everybody has a great time. >> many smaller shops also

reporting big profits. the sky was alive with color around the bay. you can hear it too. in the south bay the giants sold out their game against the modesto nuts. the giants winning it 8-2. the fireworks show that followed was the real attraction, they say. >> it was nice. i like. very nice. the kids had fun, me and my brother, nephews, had a good time. >> i like it very much. it's a nice family scene. >> fireworks show is an annual event. nothing minor league about it. >> as often the giants beat the nuts. we can tell you not all of the fireworks in the sky were allowed in oakland. police confiscating everything from bottle rockets to those nasty m-80s and issued citations which carry a $1,000 fine.

it is illegal for anybody to carry fireworks without a valid permit. and the dry conditions up in the hills making shooting off those devices especially dangerous. >> illegal fireworks blamed for at least one fire in the north bay this morning. the national park service says a san francisco man lighting them off sparked a brush fire on slacker hill yesterday afternoon. crews put out that blaze. it burned less than a half acre. authorities say the 40-year-old man was taken into custody and charged with arson. >> certainly was a lovely day yesterday. especially for celebrating the fourth. i want to check the forecast with christina. >> you don't need me to tell you how dry it is. the hills have turned a deep brown. many portions of the east bay hills at this point are extremely dry and it's warm and breezy. the breeze will pick up more than yesterday so we still do have a concern when it comes to

fire danger. we want to make sure you're aware we had a very dry spring and winter, so yeah, we want to do our best and all pitch in to make sure we stay safe. 56 in san jose. 55 in livermore. a good looking day shaping up for the 5th of july. more cloud cover to start but that's going to keep temperatures down 5 to 10 degrees. you can see we industrial the lock at 11:00. a fair amount of cloud cover hugging the coastline. you'll notice the fog probably all day long in parts of san francisco so keep that in mind. not as much sunshine and a cooler afternoon. 74 degrees bayside. 70 at the coast. we'll hit mid-80s inland. if you head throughout the remainder of the week we're getting so close to friday now it's friday eve. ooif i've got your forecast, but first before you head out the door, you need to wait. mike has an important note. >> to hear me, if they don't

wait more. take this shot up to our viewers here. looking at the lower deck with all of the brake lights all the way to the tower. this is coming over from the san francisco side. i'll give you a second to adjust your eyes. the lower deck we're looking at, the stop lights, toward treasure island. chp has activity going on. christie continues to follow these. there may have sen some sort of shooting. and chp is helping with traffic control. out of san francisco over toward treasure island. do not plan on using the lower deck right now. we're waiting to see if this is a hong time closure or a few minutes. it's been going on about seven minutes now. we have the lower deck affected, you can use the san mateo bridge to the south or richmond/san rafael to the north. b.a.r.t. trains running, no delays between the city and the observe land side. we're looking north at another issue for 80, this is up in dixon so not a major concern for most of our viewers right now but traffic diverted off of the freeway in both directions over

at pit school road because of activity there. another major concern for folks traveling maybe out of the area through fairfield through dixon as you head out to the central valley. that will be in place until chp gives us a further update. police activity westbound and eastbound 80 at pitt school road in dixon. the golden gate bridge, a calmer commute from the north bay into the city. the entire peninsula and south looking all right. again, we're following this ibs dent closing the lower deck right now over from san francisco to oakland. back to you. >> busy morning. thank you. >> 4:41. still ahead, wild fires in utah and colorado sparking fire warnings in our state. why experts say we need to be extra careful this year. >> after taking a break for the holiday, presidential candidates hitting the campaigns hard again. the questions they will face today. >> and she lost her son in combat, now a south bay mother giving back with a gift to the police department. we'll have her story coming up next.

>> welcome back. a live look outside at the bay bridge. usually so picturesque but this time we're keeping our eyes on the lower deck this morning. that's the eastbound direction of the bay bridge. it's been brought to a halt by

police activity. some sort of possible shooting out this this morning. a live reporter on the scene. mike also keeping tabs on how this could affect your commute. >> snarled up out there. there is no rest for presidential candidates as they continue to shore up voter support. tracie potts has an update out on the campaign trail. >> reporter: on his bus tour through ohio and pennsylvania today president obama will try to impress working class men, polls show they are wavering between the president and mitt romney. >> because of your service and sacrifice all of our troops are now out of iraq. >> reporter: he spent the fourth of july addressing successes and failures telling citizens we need laws that allow more immigrants to stay. >> we need to keep talented young people who want to contribute to our society, serve our country. >> thank you. how are you. >> reporter: romney tried to stay away from the hard issues on the fourth but questioned

about contradicting his campaign, a top aide called the health care mandate a penalty. >> the supreme court has the final word. the highest court in the land. they said it was a tax, so it's a tax. >> reporter: romney insists his own mandate in massachusetts was a penalty but states can do that but the federal government can no. tomorrow the focus will likely turn back to the economy as new job numbers show how many americans were able to find work in june. unemployment is at 8.2% now. new applications have been edging up in recent weeks. tracie potts, nbc news, washington. >> time to get a check of the markets before the bell. courtney reagan is live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning, courtney. >> good morning. futures are flat to slightly positive ahead of the opening bell. traders return from the holiday, investors awaiting interest rate decisions from the bank of england. we got the european central bank, looks as if we're cutting.

that was expected at least the cut. european markets are higher, asia was mixed. we'll ge a slew of economic reports, private sector pay roll and new filings and the look at the services or non-manufacturing sector. the dow closed up 72 tuesday, we were closed yesterday, to 12,943. the nasdaq added 24 to 2976. that's where we'll open today when the bell sounds. u.s. retailers report their june sales numbers today. total sales are forecast to rise a half percent which would be the smallest monthly gain in three years. consumers have been holding back on spending amid uncertainty about the global economy and slow job growth. flooding in the southeast and heat related power outages, may also have kept people out of stores and malls. those numbers trickle out throughout the morning. >> thank you very much for the update. it's 4:47. firefighters are still battling

a massive wild fire in utah this morning. more than 400 crews trying to get flames under control. they are having to rely on air tankers due to the rugged terrain. the quail fire has burned more than 2,000 acres and is just 5% contained. hundreds of residents are under mandatory evacuation orders. officials believe the fire may have started near a rodeo grounds. >> utah to colorado and new mexico, fire danger is high across the west right now and our state no exception. fire officials say the summer's record heat and dry brush is a dangerous recipe for wild fires. california, good news, has not seen a catastrophic fire in more than nine years but add that to the dry winter and cal fire officials say we're overdue. >> almost anywhere in southern california is the potential for a catastrophic fire. made even more so when we get into the santa ana wind season.

>> of course it is possible -- it is impossible to pinpoint where the next major fire may hotel is always be extra cautious especially around dry brush areas. >> let's hope that doesn't happen here. let's check the forecast. >> we're getting into the monsoonal season now, we're going to feel more humidity up here and especially in southern california. if you are headed down there, gets a little heavier, the air. so it feels warmer than the true temperature. 4:49. a live lube outside, this is san jose. one thing we'll probably notice as we do after the fourth of july, a layer of haze. that particulate matter not great for air quality but we're in the moderate range. you'll probably notice it. 55 in san francisco. what that means for us when the sun comes up we'll get amazing colors in the sunrise so stay tuned for those. temperatures, in the 50s, 55 in

san francisco, 56 in sunnyvale and 56 to start you out here in san jose. talking about monsoonal flow. high pressure sets up to the south over the four corners region and sucks up the pacific moisture. as we head throughout day you'll probably notice a little bit heavier air, a little warmer because of that humidity. so, as we head throughout the next couple of days the ridge is going to amplify, make it feel more humid. we're headed towards a heat wave into the upcoming weekend. for today, not too hot compared to where we are headed. we're going to see the 70s and the 80s. cooler than yesterday. by friday warming up to mid-80s, then look at what happens as we head through tuesday, wednesday, we get that big ridge of high pressure all the way up in the bay area. pumping in the monsoonal moisture so we could have isolated thunderstorms, maybe mountain showers and temperatures in the 90s. it's that time of year relaxing the weather department. back to you guys. >> thank you very much. san jose woman is hoping to

carry on her son's legacy. cheryl walsh donated $10,000 to help the department buy, train and equip the department with a new police dog. walsh presented the gift to santa clara police on the fourth of july. her son specialist sean walsh had dreamed of becoming a police officer with the canine unit. specialist walsh was killed in afghanistan. his mother created a canine foundation to help out canine programs. >> all of these holidays where i realize now that someone like my son and somebody else's son made a sacrifice. >> walsh's donation helped bay for argo to join the santa clara p.d., he will start canine training next week. >> very cool.

4:51. greece says it won't let financial troubles get in the way of the olympic team. thou country is funding the athletes. >> and overcoming the odds. a man lifts the olympic torch and walks after recovering from a stroke. >> looking at the bay bridge, the lower deck jammed up. police activity in the area through treasure island, we have your live report and traffic impact coming up.

>> welcome back. this is a live look at the bay bridge right now. apparently there is a potential shooting that happened out there. police stopped traffic eastbound out of san francisco heading over to oakland. some of the lanes apparently have been let back open. police now allowing some of the lanes to flow. mike inouye will come along to fill you in on the traffic. christie smith is there live. she will fill us in on the details of the possible shooting. it's 4:55. >> today on the road to the london olympics, not quite decision 2012 yet. greece says it will send a team to the summer games in spite of the budget crisis. the the greece olympic commiee showed off the team uniforms in london. the greek olympic committee has not received funding since 2009 but private donations and sponsors helped fund training. more than 100 greek athletes are going to london for the games.

>> request as athletes get ready to compete an olympic torchbearer overcoming his own test of strength. eddy plevin recovering from a stroke and brain surgery on wednesday, the 62-year-old was able to get up from his wheelchair and carry the torch through the royal estate there. he says he's been working very hard to get to this point. >> i never thought i would do it. it's inspired me to actually get off me bum and walk and i've done. >> and eddy is inspiring all of us. passing the torch to another man who took it from him and continued taking the torch through the estate. the torch is 22 days from arriving at the opening ceremony. make sure to stay with nbc bay area for in depth olympic coverage, live from london and

be sure to check out the special olympics section on our website nbcbayarea.com. for all of the unique bay area stories and a lot more from around the globe from the london games. >> so many stories. it's 4:57. keeping our eye on the lower deck of the bay bridge. >> good morning. christie is still out there covering what's going on as far as the investigation. but the traffic impact, that's my area and this is your area. if you are traveling from san francisco over to oakland. early word is that we do have some lanes moving now. allen our photographer at the scene said they are moving some cars, but as you can see the lower deck is stacked up. he is in the tunnel at the on ramp. you see the cars starting to move away from his camera. there are still some lanes blocked but one, two lanes are moving through the tunnel. they had to do shifting as far as traffic control. coming out of san francisco on

the lower deck you might want to avoid that richmond bridge to the north, san mateo bridge, your b.a.r.t. system a great option. always consider that. we'll follow this. back to you. >> 4:58. we'll be back with a live report from christie smith on the bay bridge closure after this break.