right now, san francisco police shoot and kill a suspect who they say tried to run them down in a stolen car. plus, five unusual guests in five days. detectives in a normally quiet bay area community trying to figure out how a man's body. and rabid bats and a dog is in quarantine. >> a live look outside this morning on your wednesday at the bay bridge. it is march 18th. and you are watching today today.

this is today today. >> i'm sam brock. >> and i'm lawyer lawyer. first let's check that forecast with christina lorloren. >> you can enjoy a really comfortable weekend. first i want to welcome in mike inouye. >> over my shoulder, you see a light volume of traffic. this is in san jose. we'll take you to our san jose map. you see the south bay moving very smoothly, but we do have a crash that is blocking an onramp. until just a couple seconds ago, it sounded like it was going to take some time. they should have that cleared up in a short time. but for the time being, you can't yule the hilliard avenue

onramp. depending on how you refer to it. but the rest of the freeway is moving smoothly. we'll touch base on the south bay as well as the rest of your commute coming up. >> i saw that hilliard one coming in. police investigating a deadly officer-involved shooting. >> just after 7:00 last night, police shot and killed a female driver in her late 20s to early 30s. she was driving a possibly stolen car. that's why police approached her at a gas station on van ness and pine. they went up to ask her questions and she took off. >> the vehicle then drove back on to the sidewalk towards the officers. the officers fearing for their safety and the safety of the community at large discharged their firearms. >> a motorcyclist had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit. several cars were hit by the driver. no pedestrians were hurt. a davis man is under arrest accused of leading police on a

high speed chase that spanned four bay area counties and ended in an explosive crash. >> this went south right down 680 into san jose and finally up the peninsula towards the los altos hills. this is the end of the 90-minute chase. that nissan suv, one tire blown out by police, flipped over on northbound 280 just before the magdalena avenue exit. a woman saw this crash unfold right below her.ingly got right out of the suv and appeared to be unhurt. >> i thought, this is it for him. >> that driver will likely be charged with felony evasion. >> at 4:33, happening today, two men charged in the death of an oakland mother, expected to enter their pleas. police arrested sheldon

mcdaniels and jerry harpin over the weekend. they believe they were in a shootout that killed chenille pierce. the two men are facing homicide charges. a third man, 19-year-old anthony sims, is also facing charges. a lot of questions over a gruesome and strange discovery in napa. police say a man's naked body found inside of a freezer. relatives went to check on that man yesterday since he hadn't been seen since last month. that's when they found him inside the apartment's freezer. police say there were no signs of a struggle or forced entry and that the man had a history of mental issues. wildlife officials are trying to figure out if a third bat found dead recently had r rabies. last friday, a dog found a rabid bat at niles elementary school. the dog is up to date on her shots, but got a booster shot yesterday and is now on a 30-day

quarantine. >> take it as it comes. she got vaccinated last april. >> that makes three confirmed cases of rabid bats in alameda county this year. staff picked up one two weeks ago and at bancroft middle school in san leandro last month. california's historic drought is kind of changing the focus of this year's flower and garden show in san mateo county. >> the annual event kicks off today. organizers say their goal is to emphasize creating beautiful gardens while still being water conscious. many of the displays feature drought-tolerant plants and landscaping. >> our very own bob redell is heading there this morning to get a preview of what they have up their sleeves. in the meantime, if you stick with a traditional yard, new statewide restrictions will limit how often you can water. the state waterboard issued those restrictions yesterday. among the new rules, no watering within two days of rain.

all restaurants will serve water only when customers request it specifically. with a record low snow pact and a fourth straight year of drought, even more drastic measures could be coming as well. a group of south bay students in the big apple today presenting their ideas about beating the drought. the engineering students created a project called don't waste a drop that's already won state awards. now they're competing in a national contest in new york. the winning school gets more than $100,000 to go towards technology. >> in and all ideas about drought busting are more than welcome. >> brown is the new green. let's check in with christina to find out what's in store. >> good morning, sam and laura. good morning to you at home. hopefully you had a good st. patrick's day. nice to see all the green hillsides. when it comes to our rainfall for this year, it hasn't been that bad. it's the snow pack that we need. and yes, we're asking, do you

want water or not? but the big way you can conserve just this very morning is to watch how long you spend in the shower. and most of our conservation efforts are best if you use them outdoors. that's where we're using most of the water, is outdoors. temperatures are nice and comfortable. nice and mild out there to start. 52 degrees in san francisco. we have dropped into the 40s in the south bay. we're going to end up significantly warmer than where we did yesterday. that 77 degrees to the north bay today. 73 in the tri-valley. 72 degrees in the south bay. we're getting into the last couple days of wintertime. in fact, tomorrow is the last day. we'll kick offspring as you head into your friday. more on that coming up. what the equinox means to you, what we're expecting for the first weekend of spring, and it does include some light shower activity. we'll talk about that coming up. right now, let's check on that closure. here's mike inouye. maybe they opened it up. things are always changing at this hour. >> always influx right now. fortunately, the volume very light. that hasn't changed much for the

south bay. the closure christina's talking about, not for the freeway. highway 101 moving smoothly, but it is the onramp. laura passed by, that's where the car went off of the road. on that pretty tight leash there. that activity could be causing this distraction. we hear it shouldn't take long for them to clear that. i'll continue to check chp updates. as we move farther up, we had an earlier crash as well. as i drove through the area, i didn't even see any flashing lights but i'm told there may still be some debris left over from that crash. maybe some plastic pieces going on in the freeway. just expect a little bit of clutter but that should clear up as well. we're looking at the rest of your approach. no problem from the maze. right around park street. has cleared from the roadway the last couple of minutes. we'll look at the bay bridge toll plaza, a light easy drive from the east bay, and also along the peninsula, we'll show

you the live camera from palo alto. and i will clear my throat because something's left over from that power bar i ate. >> take care. the future of football is becoming a national debate centered around the sudden retirement of a promising 49ers linebacker. now chris borland and his father talk about his decision to call it quits. >> as a parent, i'm also relieved because you're going to see the end of the days in which he had to take the kind of physical punishment you have to take to perform in that profession. >> jeff borland says he was a little surprised about chris's decision. he also said he didn't let any of his sons play football until high school. chris borland told espn he played through a couple of concussions already and questions whether it's worth it given what's known today about brain injuries. >> for me, just personally, i

don't think the risks were worth what i could gain from football. >> borland says he did plenty of research and talked to doctors and former players before making his decision. more than 70 former nfl players have been diagnosed with brain disease. >> kind of a gut check time for the league right now. coming up, more potential problems for the new span of the bay bridge. >> why caltrans plans to spend thousands of dollars to examine the bridge with microscopes. plus, check your pantry. the popular mac and cheese mix being recalled this morning. >> got a tip for nbc bay area's investigative unit? call 1-888-996-tips or e-mail theunit@nbcbayarea.com. we investigate.

you're watching "today in the bay." >> it's 4:43 on your wednesday morning. we'll take a peek outside right now. that, of course, the home of the san francisco giants, at&t park. it will be rocking before we know it. kraft right now recalling those blue and yellow becomes of macaroni and cheese because they might contain pieces of metal. >> the recall only applies to the original flavor macaroni and cheese in the 7.25 ounce size. the expiration dates are between

september 18th and october 11th 2008. they've received no complaints and no injuries have been recorded. trader joe's also issuing one for raw walnuts. they could be contaminated with salmonel salmonella. most come in trader joe's branded bags with a december 2015 expiration date. >> got to clean out the pantry at home. today we'll find out if the feds plan on raising interest rates. >> the next time you need to send money, log right on to facebook. >> we turn to landon dowdy, she's live at cnbc headquarters. good morning. >> hey, guys, good morning. it's a big day here. investors await a decision that's supposed to come out this afternoon. the fed is widely expected to signal that it's ready to start raising interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade. that could come as early as june. but some fed officials say they

want to see more confidence in the economic recovery and a rise in inflation before they pull the trigger. the dow falling 128 points. the nasdaq rising seven to 4937. facebook users can tap a dollar icon in a chat window to transfer cash after linking a debit card to their accounts. the free feature will be rolling out in the next few months. and american express is launching a customer loyalty program this spring. it's called plenty. it allows customers to earn points by making purchases at seven companies, including macy's, at&t, rite aid, and exxon mobil. for example, you can use points to pay your at&t bill to make purchases at rite aid. anything to save a penny. >> crossing a line. the new bay bridge literally going under the microscope to gauge the severity of cracks in

its anchor rods. we've got a live look at that new eastern span right now. maybe. if not, just look -- there you go. caltrans will bring in electr electronic microscopes to examine tiny cracks in the metal suspension rods imbedded in the towers. those rods actually connect to the bridge foundation. last month, caltrans discovered a connecter rod suffering from rust and croatian. engineers believe it was exposed to standing fresh water during construction. >> all right. do we need that microscope to go over the doppler radar like yesterday? probably not. maybe. we do have the scientist in the house, meteorologist christina loren. good morning. >> you don't need a microscope to take a look at our doppler. look at all this space i have to show you the numbers coming in. good morning to you. clouds are moving in at this point. we don't have any rainfall in your forecast for today, but there is some coming your way, as we get into the next couple days. san francisco right now showing you a beautiful clear start to the day. gorgeous conditions.

as we get into this afternoon, we're at 49 degrees for the south bay. 50 degrees on the peninsula. good morning to you, tri-valley. you're waking up at 48 degrees. and we're starting the new day in san francisco at 52 degrees. so spectacular conditions. for the last couple days of winter, we're actually going to warm you up, and then those numbers crash as we get into the first weekend of spring. 73 degrees for the tri-valley later on today. at 71 degrees on the peninsula. and beautiful conditions like i said before. especially compared to where we were earlier this week, where we did have a little bit of that cool weather coming through. today we'll be in the mid 70s. by tomorrow, the upper 70s. and yeah, we kick offspring officially right here on friday. and you know what, appropriately, we're going to have a game for you. first day of spring, watch your own san francisco giants. back at it in scottsdale. 81 degrees for them and they're taking on the reds, that game right here on nbc bay area at 6:05 in the evening. here's the deal. let me take you through the next couple days. we'll be at 77 degrees on

thursday. beautiful conditions for tomorrow. first day of spring, those temperatures tumble. we bring in some clouds. and then we're looking at a pretty comfortable weekend. if you want to hit the beach, the best beach day in the near future is going to be thursday. let's talk about what we are expecting when it comes to those showers rolling through. i stopped that clock for you, friday at 9:00 p.m. you can see that area of low pressure is mostly going to impact the pacific northwest. for us, though, we'll see the tail end, try to sneak into the bay area, and for us, that means some light north bay showers are certainly possible. then i take you up to next week where we get a better chance for showers. monday at 10:00 a.m., looking good for some showers all the way down south into san jose, and maybe even some showers as we get into tuesday and wednesday. that storm track is not really going anywhere. we're not expecting anything heavy. but every single opportunity for a shower activity is a good thing. we'll keep you updated. back to you, laura and sam. >> we'll look forward it to. thank you so much, christina. a grand jury is accusing a u.s. air force veteran of trying to join isis.

the jury indicted tyrod nathan webster pew of attempting to provide support to a terror organization. pew is a u.s. citizen who lived overseas. court documents say he tried to enter turkey in january with the goal of crossing into syria to join isis. the secret service is trying to figure out who sent a letter with poison to the white house. that letter tested positive for cyanide. those results are preliminary at this point with more on the way. the letter showed up monday at a secret service facility that screens mail for the white house. >> eureka police want to know if real estate heir robert durst is tied to a long unsolved disappearance there. authorities charged durst monday in the murder of writer susan berman in los angeles. it followed an explosive documentary on hbo. durst is also a suspect in his first wife's disappearance. eureka police tell nbc news durst was in yeureka about the

time karen mitchell disappeared. she was never found. that's just one of two northern california cases durst has been tied to at one time or another. 12 years ago, san francisco police looked at durst in the 1997 disappearance of kristen montaferi. she disappeared without a trace after her shift at a coffee shop. at that time, durst had a home in northern california. a penn state fraternity is in hot water over a private facebook page that investigators say clearly crossed the line. police say frat members shared photos and images of female students partially and fully unclothed. in many of those photos, women are said to be passed out or sleeping. police say they are considering criminal charges this morning. penn state has suspended the fraternity. japan has its first multi-racial miss universe contestant. arianna miamoto won the title and will represent japan in the 2015 miss universe pageant. she was born in japan to a japanese mother and an

african-american father. the victory has generated a huge discussion online. some question whether a multi-racial person can truly represent. pan. many others are praising her for redefining what it means to be japanese. >> interesting convo. coming up next, the dramatic end to a police chase in l.a. >> plus, the new app tracking your every move and saving you money at the same time. and we'll look at oakland. there is a nice flow of traffic, right here past the home of the dubs. the warriors. mr. thompson might be on the bench. a smooth drive. we'll talk about that san mateo bridge and what you'll see on the sidelines as well coming up. >> got a tip for nbc bay area's investigative unit? call 1-888-996-tips or e-mail theunit@nbcbayarea.com. we investigate.

you're watching "today in the bay." >> a very good wednesday morning to you. halfway through your workweek as we take a live look outside by the s curve, up in the north bay this morning. looks like traffic's pretty light. we'll check in with mike. he's our traffic authority around here. a determined driver led police in l.a. on a long chase last night. the woman driving the car has her hazard lights on and ran red lights as that chase just drew on. police threw down spike strips to top her, but she just kept

going. spikes were flying from under the car. after more than an hour, the car finally stopped. the woman and another man in the car -- looks like he tried to flee there, but they were eventually arrested. >> that couple obviously trying to fly under the radar, but if you don't mind being tracked, there is a new app designed to record every single move you make. >> the whole point is to make doing your taxes a little better. okay, so follow me on this one. the mile iq app tracks each drive you take. and at the end of the day, you go through your logs, swipe left for a personal trip, swipe right if it was business. users then get a travel log e-mailed to them so they can deduct those miles from their taxes. >> when i first started driving this truck and doing deliveries, i was tracking it with a pen and piece of paper and using google apps, which wasn't efficient at all and i probably missed hundreds of dollars a month. >> the app costs $6 a month. >> might as well get a benefit out of it.

meantime, mike has cameras tracking every move you make. good morning, mike. >> i won't tell if it's for a gift or someone on this desk here. we'll keep it a secret until you give it to them. send your gifts in to laura garcia-cannon. over here, the san mateo bridge, folks are slowing down a bit. nothing unusual about the pattern. we'll track 92 and of course the dunbarton bridge. we still have the onramp, the northbound 101 closed. the second astronaut to walk on the moon has a new mission. let's get us to mars. buzz aldrin tweeted this photo of himself at england's famed stonehenge, looking up to the

sky and wearing a mars t-shirt. part of his campaign, to focus on a long-term goal of settlement on the red planet and they are taking applications. coming up, fallout from racist texts allegedly sent between bay area police officers. why it could lead to some cases being overturned. >> plus, an investigation still unfolding at this hour to a drive by shooting that killed three people outside of a northern california market. the very latest, next. taking a live look outside overlooking fremont. there are cases of rabid bats being found in the bay area. we're continuing to follow this developing story. more news ahead.

a san francisco neighborhood shut down after officers opened fire on a suspect. and another rabid bat found in the east bay. now a dog is under quarantine. wildlife officials have put nearby schools on alert. and good morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina

loren. change in the works for today when it comes t to your forecas. we'll see a nice sunny day, then we're springing in to cooler temperatures for the first few days of the new season. more on that in just moments. and we're jumping into your morning commute. we also have that closure in san jose. we'll follow that getting on to the freeway, coming up. and a live look outside on this wednesday morning from downtown san jose. it's march 18th. this is "today in the bay." >> from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> a very good morning to you. thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm sam brock on this wednesday. a stolen car investigation turned into a deadly late night chase along a busy san francisco street. >> "today in the bay's" stephanie chuang live on van ness in san francisco. police say the suspect was driving erratically and actually endangeringer