shutting down the jungle. crews get ready to remove people from the largest homeless encampment this morning. >> and right now crews are getting sinkholes fixed while more rain is on the way. >> don't ditch the umbrella just yet. widespread rainfall for friday. i'll still be able to get you outdoors. stick around. your microclimate forecast is coming up in moments. >> and we'll talk about its effect on your commute coming pup. >> and, mike, a live look outside. this of course the bay bridge on your thursday morning, lit up and populated with some cars, tiny dots if you look really closely. it is thursday, december the 4th and you are watching "today in

the bay." >> announcer: from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> and a very good thursday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm sam brock. let's kick things off with a live look out your window right now this morning. the roadway is still a little slick as people inch their way across that bay bridge and the skies still cloudy and trying to dry out before another round of wet weather heads our way. >> commuters this morning, especially headed over 17, the summit, you want to take it easy out there. that's where the heaviest rainfall is coming through. a decent batch located over m n

-- marin county. some cities right now at about 200% of average, just because of the rain that's come through overs past week. also tahoe yesterday accumulated over a foot -- a foot of pressure powder in some places and there is going to be a big ski weekend. stick around if you can. if you have to go out that front door, mike will be here in just moments with your drive. >> we know more rain could bring more damage, extremely wet weather proved to be too much for parts of the bay area bringing down trees, flooding streets, stranding cars. and a massive sinkhole in san francisco could keep the road closed for some time. >> speaking of which, "today in the bay"'s steph niche chuang is close but hopefully not too close to that sinkhole. any idea where the repairs to the road will be finished? >> reporter: we're close but safe distance away. crews are still figuring out exactly how to go about this.

the first thing that needs to be repaired is the old sewage line here that broke first. that is about ten feet deep. that was installed back in 1904. again, that's got to be replaced first before the gasoline and the water main. the road could not handle the rain, it burst and the falling concrete severed the cast iron water main which isn't more water gushing, opening up the hole even more. >> i went uh-oh, something must be wrong. i went to the first floor basement to see if maybe one of my pipes were broken. >> when a sewer pipe breaks, it sucks the roadway down into it and sort of causes a sink home to form. >> down in belmont, crews are hoping to prevent a sinkhole from hoping up there on middle road at el camino. they closed off the block.

too much rain caused a storm drain pipe to burst. back here at lake and 6th but just a few blocks away at 2nd, there was a sinkhole in the middle of the street back in may of 2013. we have reach out to the public utilities commission to see if it's the same line and what they're doing to prevent the same thing happening in the future. >> clearing now, the jungle. any minute now crews in san jose will start pushing the homeless out of the entire encampment in the entire country. >> this is a tough process. nanette, many of the homeless left on their own but many are still refusing.

>> reporter: good morning. a lot of refusing to go. today is the day the city will begin clearing out this homeless encampment. take a look behind me around that gentleman. the police have begun blocking off parts of story road, making room for clean-up crews, clean-up trucks, barricades. i think the city might be anticipating some problems, hence the police presence as the homeless is evicted and dismandling of what's commonly called the jungle. anyone still living here will be evicted. then structures, debris and waste will be cleared out. the closing and clean up of the camp was planned to coincide with the opening of santa clara county's cold weather shelters. the move was in the works for about 18 months now. about 130 people or so have already moved. it's unclear how many people are here but i'm told it's about

150. the city has allocated money to help the folks transition. >> we've been working very, very hard with our downtown streets team, destination home and home first to get people into housing and provide them with a long-term solution that is better than this unsafe and unsanitary condition. >> reporter: and those unsanitary conditions are what's driving the shutdown. the san francisco bay regional water quality control board gave notice to the city of san jose to stop waste from polluting nearby coyote creek, which carries water that ends up in the bay. back live here now, you can see a mess, a big mess that the crews will have to clean up. i see police presence is here, the barricades are starting to come up, the street is starting to be blocked off. so it appears they are readying for what's expected to be perhaps some resistance and some issues here but we'll keep an eye for you out here live in san

jose. nanette miranda for "today in the bay." >> hopefully not too much resistance. thank you, nanette. >> we take a look at the forecast, a live picture from the san bruno mountains, those clouds looking slightly ominous this morning. >> not too bad, though. getting a little bit of rain, not the downpours and deluge that we've had. still slick roads. be careful. >> good morning to you, everybody at home. you made it through some pretty tough commutes this week. yesterday was rough. as we head throughout the day, you do want to go ahead and bring your umbrella with you, though you're not going to be giving it a workout like we've had to the past couple of days. let's talk about the results, the accumulation. lake tahoe almost two feet of pressure powder in squaw, over a

foot in heavenly, 21 inches in sugar bowl. with that said, we've also got rain on the way. you really want to stick around and stay tuned for the forecast if you're going to be making that drive. it can be dangerous even without the active weather. you can see light, spotty activity. line rain will move onshore and then between noon and five, we'll get a break before the next rain of heavy rain arrives. we take you into the 1:00 hour today. maybe a few pop-up thunderstorms embedded within those light showers. take you to the 7:00 hour and a nice dry break that will continue into the first part of your friday. once it starts to come in, this

will likely come in during your drive home from work and that could make for dangerous driving conditions. you'll likely be better off waiting until saturday afternoon to get over the hill, if that's where you're trying to go or leaving today even because it's kind of a transition day. the rainy pattern will stick with us as we get into this weekend. sunday is your day for outside plans and by monday, another round of heavy rain returns. but after that, it does look like we're going to see a dry stretch. we'll talk more about that in just a little bit. first here's mike and your drive. >> christina, you're going to have to write a note, though, "please excuse mike from work because he had to go to tahoe today." still some slick conditions. as we look at your map and show you the greater south bay area here, we're going to look at southbound 280 and a spinout reported at saratoga, indicating

possibly a slicker roadway as well. the build just starting for 280 and 101 here. the fog is drifting in now and reported on our index. gilroy, and i-5, keep that in mind. we'll see that continue to move around of course. the rest of your bay moving pretty nicely. nimitz freeway and the tri-valley moving smoothly. no real drama. we'll show you the foster city side. there's a breeze in the area but no wind advisory this morning and drier roads. watch the slick conditions again. we have puddling. a lot easier drive than it was yesterday. >> right?

you can see the picture. there wasn't water drops all over it. >> now we're just glowing today. people are thrilled about the fact they saw the san mateo bridge shot. >> up next, what are the hottest jobs for biggest growth? we'll tell you coming up. >> plus liftoff delay. the viewing party still going on now. the world waiting for the orion capsule to be cleared for take-off. a live report coming up next. closed captioning provided by mancini sleepworld's triple bonus mattress sale.

>> this was actually supposed to happen about two hours ago, but a series of problems causing some concern this morning.

scott has been closely monitoring this situation. he brings us the latest on how exactly this is going to work. it seems like there's a lot of temperamental factors involved. >> there are. there's some valve not doing its job so we're waiting on the hold. it's the delta rocket. it's the orion capsule at the top, very similar to the one that took the astronauts to and from the moon in the 60s and 70s. this will be the first use of a new spacecraft that's historic. and where it's going is historic, the space shuttle and international space station, they stay in low earth orbit. orion will go all the way out into deep space before returning, real space, not skipping along the atmosphere. we haven't been that far out with a spaceship, the kind people can go in since 1972. then it's going to come back and

the heat shield will face a big test. kris? >> reporter: the heat shield will protect the air as people come back down. that's one of the reasons why the folks here are excited. the folks at lockheed martin helped to develop the heat shields and folks here at nasa ames helped to test some of the aerodynamics. a lot of these folks here, i will say about half of them seem to have left. they came in early and likely had to carry on with their day and go back to school, go back to work and hit the road. but we do have some hard core enthusiasts that are still here right now and they are super excited about what this means for nasa.

>> it's excitement for nasa that we're getting back into the human space flight program. >>. >> reporter: so you're thinking we just want to know what time it's going to take off. we have been delayed, a couple of number of what they are calling minor issues but no showstoppers. but there's only about a 30-minute window left in what could be this show. the launch window is up until 6:45 our time. so we're getting within a half hour. we expect to hear what the new launch time might be within the next five minutes and then hopefully that will not get stalled as it did halfway through as it did the last two times. we'll tweet it as soon as we hear it as well. >> and then we'll carry it live on television, kris. thank you. >> orion is lifted by a delta rocket. it's built by lockheed and

boeing. spacex also has a rocket that could do the job, sort of, the falcon heavy. it's never flown. to get to deep space, you need one of these big guys. the first test on a spacex heavy is in 2015. not one but two apple trials in the bay area today. in oakland the federal trial over ipods takes place. we get big job numbers tomorrow from the labor department, 5:30 our time. gains may not be as strong as last month but we'll find out for sure tomorrow. the fed released its beige book, a peek at the economy. it said out west here, guys, the biggest jobs will come in construction, computer programming, electronic game design and mortgage brokers. i like the beige book because there's lots of facts there.

also hamburger sales down, people in the west moving to mexican food according to the fed. >> can't beat a burrito, i suppose. thanks a lot. >> all this rain right now making for some beautiful pictures. take a look at this. it one of the many waterfalls as yosemite's national park. they were dry because of drought but several days of rain brought them roaring back to life. >> and that is such fantastic news because so many people travel up the yosemite to see the waterfalls and they haven't received the treat that we've had in years past. what they really need is the snow pack. christina will join us to talk about that. >> a bit of a reprieve. christina has been watching all sorts of things. we talked about the weather front coming through and in

florida with this window collapsing. >> it's really, really interesting, too. people over there, they want to hear that sonic boom. it's been a long time. we used to have that sonic boom all the time. what i can tell you right now is weather not a big issue. let me show you what could be hampering that take-off. right now you're taking a live look at the state of florida. let me fly you right into the space coast, cape canaveral. we do have a little bit of light patchy fog across the board here. so keep that in mind. also some wind picking up as well. so you do want to keep that in mind. it's light but everything has to be just right when you're sending a rocket into space. so those are the only two things that could be hampering the actual shuttle take-off. that would be the wind and fog, both expected to light i don't know up as we head throughout the next few hours. that's good news. the weather there is expected to improve. for us it's already improving. we're seeing light, scattered showers clear up. and we'll continue to get some

brief, heavy downpours. bring your umbrella with you but you won't be needing it all day long. >> you're right, everything does have to be right when you go into space. look at the glow, the lights, there's moisture in the air so some slick conditions here. the bay bridge toll plaza, nothing dramatic throughout the maze. let's look at the maps. a smooth drive but the green indicating still in the north bay. over in the east bay, a build all the way through berkeley. there's the slowdown in west 580 and 24. we have fog and wet roads through antioch.

meanwhile, the tri-valley show as pretty typical pattern for 580, 680, that means speeds are coming down to the 40 mile-per-hour mark. and then south bay north 101 shows a little slowing right around 680. we'll give you a quick look at palo alto. there was a spinout around north 101, here's a lighter volume of traffic but here are slick roadways showing with that sheen on the road, indicating you will have trouble with traction. back to you. >> thanks so much, mike. it's 5 -- no, 6:22 right now. militants threaten to execute an american hostage. what they're demanding from the u.s. in exchange for his life. >> plus, as we follow that story, we're going to take a quick peek outside at the bay bridge at this early 6:00 hour, 6:22 actually on your thursday. we have another look at news, weather and traffic coming up right after this break.

a u.s. terrorism watch dog says militants released a video that reportedly shows british-born hostage luke somers saying his life is in danger. the group does not specify what

its demands are but it does accuse the u.s. of bombing its fighters. somers was kidnapped by gunmen in yemen's capital last year. >> republican lawmakers are preparing to send a message to president obama about his recent immigration reform. lawmakers will vote today to declare the president's executive orders null and void. it will likely pass in the republican-controlled house. but the consensus is it won't be much more than a statement because it doesn't have much chance in the senate and would be a bill the president certainly would veto. >> and a new decision, same outcome. protests erupting across the country in response to a grand jury's decision not to indict a white police officer in the death of a black suspect. >> and we're still keeping our eyes on cape canaveral this morning with a live look awaiting orion's launch of an urch manned missio-- unmanned m.

it's been delayed two or three times this morning. we'll see if it will take place today and take you there live when it does.

in the bay area and beyond, nationwi widwide protests erupt no charges after a white police officer is involved in the death of a black suspect. >> i will get you outdoors and show you when it will be dry for you and your family to enjoy that beautiful air quality from recent rain. >> that rain may be lingering a

bit but the wet roadways don't know when they're not wanted anymore. we'll give you an update on those. >> we give you the big jobs number tomorrow as we take to you the new york stock exchange and over to the nasdaq as well with the bed, bath & beyond. they trade as bbby. >> and we're off. a live look at downtown san jose there. see the clouds there. take what you can get. it's thursday, december 4th. this is "today in the bay." >> announcer: from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> a good thursday morning. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. protests erupted after a grand jury decided not to indict a new york city police officer who put an unarmed man in a choke hold, ultimately killing him. the announcement comes as the nation is still on j following the same decision in the

shooting death of michael brown. >> tracie potts joins us from washington, d.c. the justice department getting involved here. >> reporter: and pretty quickly. they've announced they're opening a civil rights investigation that will be headed hea headed by prosecutor lynch. these protesters wondering what was the grand jury thinking? what evidence did they consider? did they even get a look at the video? remember that video that everyone has seen of eric garner being taken down by officers in what appeared to be a choke hold, although the officer's attorney says that it was not, it was a different technique and now we're about to learn more of

what the grand jury said as the transcripts are in the process of being released. at least there's a question about that. the officer who was involved in this and who was not indicted has apologized but the widow says she doesn't accept that. >> no, i don't accept his apology. no, i could care less about his condolences, no, i could care less. he's still working, his still getting a paycheck, he's still feeding his kids and my husband is six feet under and i'm looking for a way to feed my kids now. >> the officer issued his first statement since all of this happened saying he never meant to harm anyone. meantime, expect more protests, not just in new york. we have one planned here in washington, d.c. >> thanks very much, tracie. >> the grand jury's decision

felt here in the bay area as well. in palo alto, about 50 demonstrators took to university avenue and blocked the street there. you hear them chanting "don't shoot" and also chanting "black lives matter." in oakland protests were peaceful. there was no looting or vandalism. demonstrators marched and chanted to show their disbelief and disapprovement. >> outside your forecast, one of the prettiest parts of the day. many drivers wondering how should i dress, what are the road conditions going to look like? that is why we keep the experts around. >> you had a very busy week. >> most certainly. most certainly. it's one of those weeks we haven't had in years here in the bay area. so meteorologists rejoicing, farms are rejoicing and skiers and snow boarders, oh, boy, we've got a lot more snow on the

way to tahoe this weekend, i'm sure you, too, are rejoicing. as we get into this afternoon, we're going to get some light, spotty activity. you'll need your umbrella. temperatures still in the 50s and 60s for today. overall, we have such great news. this is average rainfall for this time of year, where we stand for this time of year. this fall season, 2014. so basically in san francisco we've accumulated almost seven inches of rain since the season began and that puts us at 130% of average. the big winner, though, is mountain view, who accumulated over 5 inches of rain this season and you are up to 190%. so that's some success. but i do have to tell you, we have three years of dry weather to dig out of, and a lot of other elements that go into play when it comes to the drought situation in this state. so we still need a lot more rain

to get out of this bad situation, but i can tell you we're looking a lot better now than we did three months ago. now temperatures are nice and cool for today. we also have a bit of a wind chill factor. grab your jacket, we're in the 60s later on, 62 in san francisco and 65 in the north bay. we'll have another round of heavy rain as we meet back here tomorrow and then pretty good looking weekend. i'll show you the forecast for both coming up. it could be problematic, though, if are trying to get to that fresh powder up in tahoe. i'll show you why in my report. here's mike inouye and your drive. >> we're looking to pressure e n in the north bay. you still see the close and moisture in the air. the slick roadways continue for highway 101. we'll show you the bay bridge toll plaza and the back up here. there is some congestion and some concern. 101 over on the right side,

novato over to the mill highway. approaching the bay bridge, a similar build for west bond 80. a pretty typical pattern there for a thursday as well. as we look closer to the city, a smooth approach over the bay bridge and the golden gate bridge has no problems. coming up, the peninsula smooth and dry and no flooding reported for 101 and the 280 extension. san mateo, a little build for the volume here. 880 south hayward and 680 south, typical patterns. nothing really unexpected. i do want to show you guys this live camera here in san jose. we have this beautiful shot but this is the way i have to look at it. hey, look, down in the corner, flashing lights. i can't look at the sky, i look at the wet roads and fender bender over the south shoulder. no obstruction to the flow of

traffic other than the distraction. >> kind of shows how you look at things. >> the glass is half full, glass is half empty and then looking at the car next to the glass. >> the european central bank and its decisions regarding stimulus in that continent are affecting the markets. >> i'm afraid my pictures are not nearly as pretty as mike's. dow industrials down 36. we have video of a speech by vladimir putin, his equivalent of the state of the union. putin railing against what he calls western speculators. we'll show you the video later. that has the markets very concerned as well. it's a very important speech and i think it's going to last for several days as far as the backlash. back to you. >> 6:37 right now. we are just getting word that the orion mission has been scrubbed for today. live look from cape canaveral

this morning. it had been put on delay several times this morning but now the liftoff not just delayed, it's been scrubbed for today. >> there was a stray boat at one point and then a fuel valve was not properly working. so a tough day for the liftoff but it is now being postponed until tomorrow. we'll have more information as well as your news, weather and traffic after the break.

researchers have developed a drug they think could one day help people recover from spinal cord injuries. the drug works by hoping to reconnect nerve cells that have been cut or damaged. in trials that helped injury rats move their legs again. the rats also regained control of their bladders. lead scientists say this type of recovery is unprecedented in that this is the first time anything like a drug has been shown to help repair damaged spie spines. >> the rain clearing out but the damage done. right now crews racing the clock to fix a massive sinkhole before n another round of wet weather hits the area. >> and all of that waiting this morning to see if the orion would be launched, it terms

several things getting in the way today, including a fuel valve that wouldn't work properly. we're back with 15 minutes of nonstop news, traffic and weather right after this break. ♪ wow something sounds sweet in here!!!! ♪ need a little honey in the bowl. yeah!!! badabopbopbopa!!! no? must be the honey!!!

at 6:44, the bay area still seeing lingering rain drops. it is wet out there, slick roadways but today is considered the calm before yet another storm makes its way in tomorrow. >> christina said friday could have much more activity. more rain, meantime, could be more damage. wet weather for the past two

days proved to be too much for some areas. a mass of sinkhole in san francisco could keep the road closed in the richmond district of the city for quite some time. >> stephanie chuang is live there. we're talking about the second major sinkhole in that neighborhood in less than two years. >> reporter: that's right, good morning to you, laura and sam. we're here at 6th and lake where the 16 by 20 by 30 sinkhole here is quite considerable. it was just in may of 2013 where there was nor sinkhole four blocks away, same sewer line. this line was built in 1904. crews have to fix that first. city officials say the rain yesterday overwhelmed this line, causing the sinkhole. it's not just a problem in this city. down in belmont, caltrans fixed

a hole there before. the entire system was tested yesterday since it's been a while since we've gotten this kind of rage. the city says there is a plan to replace the aging infrastructure but says there's own so much it can do at a time. the hope is the work can get done by the end of today. live in san francisco, stephanie chuang, "today in the bay." >> so much rain water just rushed in parts of the city not prepared for it. thank you, stephanie.

>> time now to check the morning commute with mike. before we get to that microclimate forecast, we mentioned it could be spring sp sprinkling out there this morning. >> right here is where we saw the flashing lights, i showed folks on the southbound side of 280. this sign says lee avenue the next exit but that crash has been taken off to lee avenue. we have a spinout at south 80. also we have a lot of moisture in the air and fog registering over here. gilroy over toward i-5 is an issue on our road system index.

over here the peninsula moves very smoothly. an earlier downed tree has been taken away. just outside saratoga, that is still down. a slower drive, look at that, hayward, union city, a smooth drive there. no beg surprises as you head over toward the bay bridge. and also some rain up in the north, some wet roads. i show you foster city and the approach, a much clearer view than we saw yesterday. no wind advisory for the bridges this morning. the bay bridge toll plaza has your metering lights on. a smooth drive and good visibility down the east shore freeway. the metering lights with a typical backup for a thursday here. we talked about soupy conditions, not rainy but drizzly. we now have slowing rates here but not as significant

yesterday. christina, that was completed flooded in mill valley yesterday. this morning what's going on? >> if you'd like to see that image and all of the amazing pictures that you, our weather watchers, sent in, log on to nbcbayarea.com. it's right there for you at the top of our home page. now, this morning we're still watching your radar. not as active but definitely still have slick conditions, courtesy of the rainfall that came through earlier this week, especially yesterday. we have some heavy downpours, thunderstorms and then that wind really started cranking in the south bay. watch out, you might find debris on the roadways. a lot of leaves out there. make sure you clear those out of your gutters before the next round of heavy rain comes in. temperatures mostly in the 60s. thanks for waking up with us each and every day. rain might have made it difficult getting to work this morning. looking pretty good. you don't have to have the white

knuckles to hold on to your steering wheel because it's coming down so hard. you still want to have your umbrella because around 1:00, still getting those bright, spotty cells. we're looking good for another round of light to moderate rainfall starting on friday afternoon, continuing to intensify as we head throughout friday evening through the overnight hours and a little break by saturday afternoon. sunday is a better day if you want to get outdoors. monday, another round rain that continues into tuesday. right now it's not looking promising for any significant systems after this for next week. as you know, we're really excited about this forecast. you do want to take it easy, though, if you're going to be headed up to tahoe where we have all that brand new snow. dangerous conditions on friday. a lot of people headed up there. time to get those chains ready to go. right, mike? actually, i'll send it over to

you. >> piquing our interest with all of that snow talk. >> san jose police are moving in on the jungle, people living in the nation's largest momentless encampment are being forced out this morning. >> nanette miranda is live. you've moved since we've last seen you so crews can head into the jungle? >> reporter: that's right. we're now across the street on story road across from the jungle, as the city tries to evict the remaining folks. officials began moving its resources, its crews, its cops and equipment to begin the shutdown. san jose police are here. i believe the city is anticipating problems, as the process begins at 8:00 this morning for the actual removal. some may resist leaving and may be forced to quit. crews began posting 72-hour notices on monday that this was happening. the move has actually been in the works for 18 months now.

in the last few months some 130 people so have already moved out and there could be still as many as 150 people still here. the clearing out was timed so it was coinciding with santa clara county's cold shelters opening up and creating room for some of these folks. services are also available to help with housing. others say they are looking for another place to set up. >> if the police find it, they'll come and run you out of there. so this is a game of whack-a-mole. they're scattering people throughout the city and they're just going to cause them to go further and further away from traditional places. they're going to end up in people's neighborhoods. >> now, unsanitary conditions are what's driving the shutdown. waste is polluting nearby coyotes creek and the city of

san jose was put on notice to put that to a stop. now back here live at the jungle here. you can see the tents are still there, there's piles of people's belongings still here. but the resources moved in. again, the cops, the crews began moving in around 6:30. the actual removal, i'm told, is going to be happening at 8:00. nanette miranda, "today in the bay." >> i hope people get the shelter they truly need. >> palo alto is adopting a new parking program aimed at keeping commuters out of local neighborhoods. right now areas only allow two-hour parking so people who work downtown turn to communities for free spots. that status is about to change. residents who live near downtown palo alto will get one free permit where commuters will have to pay between $100 and $450 a

year depending on their income. >> a lot of people here only make minimum wage or a little above and paying for permits will present a problem. >> at this time we recommend we scrub for tonight today's operation. >> you just heard it just moments ago, nasa scrubbing this morning's historic launch of the orion capsule after a series of weather delays and other delays, they're going to try again tomorrow. >> and scrubbing. is that an aeronautical term? and kris sanchez was there for a special viewing party. a lot of people must be let down this morning. >> totally left down. we're the last people at the party. you know what that's like.

all of these people faced with enthusiasm. that's pretty much what the shot looked like all morning long as folks were just waiting for that to happen. the launch was delayed, as you mentioned, and then scrubbed all together. there was problems with weather, with the core booster temperature and the fill-in drain valve. all of that very scientific for the folks at nasa ames. we were watching for all of the local products involved in this. the shield that protects the spacecraft puerto rifrom burnin entry into the atmosphere, those were developed at lockheed martin in sunnyvale. and the fox here at nasa ames tested the aerodynamics of the craft. a lot of fox really disappointed

because if this had gone well today, this would have been the first step toward manned flight. i would assume we'll be back here on friday with the same party people and hopefully at that time it will happen. otherwise, if we don't leave, they're going to make us sweep up, you know, the last guests at the party. >> no doubt. those people got up early to head out there, too. thanks, kris. >> and if past is pro log, maybe it will be pushed into our news hour. wouldn't bet the farm. when it does launch, orion is going out into space, deep space and returning to slashdown right down off the coast of san diego. >> scott mcgrew, it's the return that's the big nail biter. >> and kris mentioned this.

this is why they're launching it without astronauts inside. will the heat shield designed at nasa ames hold? we know how to make heat shields. the space shuttle had tiles and those held up all but once. what's to worry about? well, it's speed and angle. spaceships look the orion coming in much faster and steeper, coming in like a bat out of you know what. they're using a bladed heat shield. who knows how to build a bladed heat shield? our grandfathers. a new generation of nasa scientists have to relearn it. >> and the speed up to 20,000 miles per hour. >> very quick, very steep. >> we stay tuned closely to this. one final check of today's top stories. a san mateo fire chief is expected in court accused of taking place in a complex money

scheme. mark lattice is facing charges of grand theft and tax evasion. his wife was arrested accused of making money with fake credit cards and fake businesses. >> and a grand jury decided not to press charges against a new york city police officer. air garner died after being put in a choke hold by police officers arresting him. >> investigators say a pipe burst creating this sinkhole after a heavy day of rain. >> keep the umbrella handy, right? >> yeah, we get heavy rain when we meet back tomorrow morning. the story continues to get better and better for us here in the beautiful bay area. take a look at our hillsides later today, my friends, just luscious, green, beautiful conditions. you'll be able to see them because the sun is going to come

out later today. we'll see light, scattered showers until about noon. i'll track them here on nbc bay area. after this week's rain, these are your average rainfall totals for this year. we're at 137% of average in san francisco so it's really looking good so far. >> encouraging. now, if you're not dodging those sinkholes in the roadway, you should be okay, mike. >> up also have to watch out for the trees in the roadways. 101, san rafael, soupy a little still. we're also talking about the tree down at 128 up in heelsburg and highway 35 just outside saratoga. a pretty smooth drive around the bay. we have a crash north 87 just north of capital expressway. that's about the worst of it aside from that tree done outside of tear towing a. oakland, 880 past the coliseum, things moving very nicely right now. watch the off ramps.

this is past where the warriors will have a game tonight so watch for traffic. >> thank you for joining us. we'll be back at 7:25 with a live local news update. >> it's been an eventful 24 hours or so. cape canaveral, no launch today. último minuto, los manifestantes thousands take to the street in new york city and los angeles, protests over a grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer whose apparent choke hold led to garner's death. this morning, his widow speaks out. brutal murder of a teacher inside a mall in abu dhabi. the suspect caught allegedly trying to kill a second american. new fear of mud slides and