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 endangering others? >> reporter: absolutely.

good morning, laura and sam. we're here on the sidewalk, we were here before 4:00 this morning and the car was still parked on this sidewalk. you can see some debris still on the ground here. police officers for some reason believe the woman's car was stolen. these officers identified themselves as cops, and then the woman drove at them and fled. >> she's turning around going in the opposite lane of traffic. crashing into every car. might have to take lethal force. >> and that is what happened. police say she drove up and made a u-turn, hitting cars, then driving up on the sidewalk towards officers, who were fearing for their lives as far as those around. one witness described the chaos of trying to leave the area before she heard the gunshots. >> the glass was shattered and guns were just going off everywhere and it scared me. i ran for cover inside my van.

i have a catering business. and i hit the flr. >> the female driver died on scene. her car was one of the last towed around 4:00 this morning. a couple other cars hit. no one else was hurt, though, thankfully. one motorcyclist had to ditch the bike before getting hit by the driver. we spoke this morning with a man who walked away from the scene just before the bullets went flying. we'll hear from him coming up in our next report in about half an hour. live in san francisco, stephanie chuang, "today in the bay." >> quite frightening for those witnesses. investigators right now are looking for the person who opened fire outside of a stockton grocery store, killing three people and injuring four others. all of this happened last night at a large group -- as a large group gathered outside of that store. investigators say one of the victims die at the scene and the other six taken to the hospital. two of those died as well. detectives say the shooting happened in an area known for drug dealing and gang activity,

but witnesses say the people in the group weren't doing anything wrong. >> it's unfortunate that, you know, we live in a city that has so much to offer and we're trying to make it better, and these things tend to happen. random acts of violence. >> no one has been arrested so far and police have not said whether they have a suspect in mind. the fallout continues to grow this morning over racist and homophobic texts reportedly sent between some san francisco police officers. yesterday, the city's public defender said every case involving the five officers will be reviewed. some of those cases date back ten years. the text messages were discovered on the phone of a former san francisco officer. he was convicted on federal corruption charges. health officials are warning people this morning in the east bay to watch out for bats that could be carrying rabies. two rabid bats have been found in the last month alone. >> kris sanchez live in fremont where another bat is undergoing

testing right now. >> reporter: yeah, we just found out yesterday, confirmed that a third bat is undergoing testing to see if it has rabies, just like the one that was found here at this playground at niles elementary school just on friday. so this will be a very good day to talk to kids, really anywhere in the bay area. that if they come upon a bat, they should not touch it because they could contract rabies, even if the bat doesn't bite them. let's talk about the bottat tha was found here at this school. it was found by a man who was with his dog. he noticed it on the playground, and he knows that families use this playground even when school is out of session, so he carefully scooped it up after telling the dog to drop it from his mouth. >> i cut off the end of the water bottle and scooped the bat up and put it inside the water bottle and took it home and taped the bottle up. >> reporter: this is the second confirmed bat with rabies found in alameda county in just the last two weeks.

they are really good for the ecosystem. they eat a lot of the bugs that pester us. but the problem is when they die, sometimes they can carry rabies. and even if the bat doesn't bite you, it's enough to get some of their saliva into a cut or maybe a mucus membrane like your eye. so a good time to remind kids that if they come upon a bat, not to touch it. again, third bat being tested this morning. >> no doubt schools and parents keeping a close eye on that situation. a san jose woman will have to pay up for her collection of stuffed wildlife. he's a look at some of the animals found at dora zapetta's apartment. she's been possessing illegal birds of prey. thorgts caught her after she

bought a stuffed french barn owl on e-bay. that bird, it turns out, is a protected species. happening today, the city of martinez will decide whether to push for better rail safety. shipments of crude oil are expected to increase on rail lines running through m.d. city leaders are concerned the oil could pose a hazard to the community. other california cities want the federal government to crack down on trains carrying oil, calling for more efficient brakes and lower speed limits. california's water board means business. drought restrictions are making many people rethink how they tend to the garden. >> bob redell is at the garden show. water doesn't always have to play a party in something beautiful out there. there are some creative ways to still tend to those gardens. >> especially after those restrictions that came out yesterday. you might recall that if there's a next rainstorm, which i don't know if we're going to have any

any time soon, you won't be allowed to water your lawn for two days after. restaurants are no longer going to automatically give you water, only if you request it. also urging hotels to give people the option of not having other towels washed, so they can conserve water with the washing machine. one of the themes here this year has been drought tolerance. we've got nahall and eric. you've won a lot of awards for your exhibit here. i think one thing that people may be surprised is that you can actually do a lot, even though the plants are drought tolerant, is that correct? >> exactly correct. >> reporter: what is the biggest challenge with gardening? >> many people think that dro drought tolerant plants are ugly or scrubby looking. what we're trying to do is celebrate the beautiful

qualities of drought tolerant plants. this is something that could be substituted for roses, which people enjoy for their color, but are actually high water usage. >> i didn't realize the purple color has a lot to do with it staying drier, is that correct? >> yes, that's right. they make them cooler and they can do better in warm environments. >> so the derrick color resists sunlight. so how much water would a garden like this use compared to an english garden? >> this could probably use about less than 10% than what a -- >> reporter: 10% of water. >> yes. >> reporter: you guys are both three years into your program. is that something they're talking about, especially here in california? what are they saying about what you're going to have to adjust your skills to make yourself marketable? >> we are a product of our school, so we are being taught that definitely, and that is a major role that our teachers are pushing upon us, to be

responsible in our planting and design. >> thank you very much, both of you. congratulations. the 30th annual flower and garden show here at the san mateo expo center. one thing i'll notice, there was a definite difference as far as the type of plants being used back then. it was more of -- i would even say a jungle feel. here you have more of a sense that you're really trying to minimize the water. doors open at 10:00 today. runs through sunday. the 30th annual san francisco flower and garden show. >> years ago they would have water fountains. the lush jungle type of thing. but, you know, it's a measure of where we are. >> some really nice displays there. thank you very much, bob. want to check in with meteorologist christina loren. drought, rain, it all goes hand in hands. >> certainly does. good morning to you. we do have some light showers in the forecast. i can tell you, great to have

bob out there this morning. outdoor usage is where we're putting most of our water. and if you can cut back outdoors, you will really be helping out the bay area and this beautiful state of california. 44 degrees in livermore. we're at 49 in san jose. 50 degrees to kick off the new day in san carlos. absolutely crystal clear out here. we're going to see gorgeous conditions te s today. temps in the mid 60s. at lunchtime. 65 degrees in the tri-valley. we'll round out the day in the low 70s. 72 degrees on the east shore. temperatures are looking good to stay steady. we're going to boost those numbers up a touch for tomorrow. and then a cooldown for the first few days of spring, including some showers. we'll talk about that coming up. i'm happy. i just saw scott mcgrew walk in. we missed you, buddy.

right now, here's mike inouye. >> what aim, chop liver? >> no, not at all. >> you can respect this. a nice, easy light drive. pretty good speeds all over the south bay. a note. no major issues, but we have had that closure for hilliar avenue. meanwhile, the rest of our bay, we're beginning to end with this map and show you speeds approaching the bay bridge. not a problem. still ahead, why a new study says your child's diet might be worse than you think. plus, why ashley judd says that she is pressing charges against strangers who responded to one of her tweets with some very foul language. and finally, finally, we are going to hear from the fed. we'll tell you what it all means coming up in business and tech.

actress ashley judd is pressing charges against cyber bullies who attacked her on social media following a march madness tweet. judd, a big kentucky basketball fan, tweeted during a game that she thought arkansas was playing dirty. a slew of hateful tweets started flying her way, including explicit threats. judd says she's filing police reports on all those who threatened her. in most states, you have to

register to vote, but oregon has just become the first state to register people automatically. new governor kate brown signed a law into effect that automatically signs them up to vote when they renew their driver's license. brun just took office last month. voters who don't want to be registered have the option of opting out. the fed of the fcc is denying he was pressured into changing the rules of the internet. >> but scott mcgrew, welcome back, and he most definitely changed his mind. >> that's right. he says he was influenced by president obama, but not pressured. you'll recall the fcc voted to change the rules for internet providers, giving the commission the power to enforce net neutrality. the vote went along party lines and the democrats do have a majority on the commission, wheeler is now in front of a republican congress for a series of meetings where he says yeah, the president did go online and pretty much demand that the fcc adopt net neutrality rules, but no, the president didn't make

him do it. commissions like the fcc are a strange animal. they're full of people appointed by the president, but they're not answerable to the president. also in washington this morning, the fed ends its two-day meeting. we turn to landon dowdy at cnbc headquarters with that. good morning, laon. >> hey, scott mcgrew. welcome back. i've been taking care of business all by myself these last few days. but i'm certainly glad to have you back, especially on a day like today. it's fed day, and futures are pointing to a lower open, as investors await a decision from the federal reserve this afternoon. the fed is widely expected to signal it's ready to start raising interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade. that hike could come as soon as june, but some fed officials have said they want to see more confidence in the economic recovery and a rise in inflation before they pull the trigger. stocks ended mixed on tuesday ahead of the fed decision. now falling 128 points.

the nasdaq rising seven to 4937. that round-the-world solar airplane is once again going round the world. solar impulse was able to take off from india after officials there delayed the pilot because according to team members, he didn't have the right stamp in his passport. and nintendo this morning says it will indeed start publishing games for smart phones like the apple iphone. this is our interpretation of what a mario game might look like. don't look for this in the app store, it's not there yet. but finally, we get mario on iphone. >> is that like mario kart on snow boards? >> i had to ask my editors. soshi snowboarding or something like that. >> olympic mario. >> a lot of people love mario. >> ourselves included, no question about that. thank you very much, scott. most of us know about the

nutritional pyramid that says we should each eat at least three servings of veggies and two servings of fruit each day. you're doing that, right? but only one out of ten kids follow those guidelines. it found that most kids, roughly 90%, had too much sodium in their diet. no surprise here, researchers found that children with insufficient diets can have poor heart health at a very early age. definitely part of the national dialogue right now. >> yeah, hopefully not in california. our produce can be so rich here. although those california farmers having a tough year. >> hopefully that won't extend to the next couple of years. obviously we're making these mandatory restrictions. if you're just waking up to us, new restrictions coming to your restaurant, coming to how often you can water your lawns. we have a slight chance for showers. i want to start with my friend from our sister station. you are live this morning at katherine r. smith elementary school and surrounded by some

cute kids. got the principal out there. what are you guys working with today? >> we are here to play, to learn, and to share this morning with all the kids that have been absent. and we are really honored this morning to be in katherine elmry scho -- elementary school. to tell us more, after alan bringer, the principal. >> we reinvented ourselves as a 21st century learning center. critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and innovation. and just this december, we were named as one of the 15 schools nationwide as a 21st century exemplar school. so it's a pretty incredible honor for us.

>> one in 15 schools. can you believe that? it's really an honor for us to be sharing this morning. christina, thank you so much for having us. i really want to say hi to laura and sam. everybody at home. and hope you enjoy this wonderful day. >> aw, thank you! bye, guys. low 70s in the south bay for all your south bay schools today. it's going to be comfortable out there. and as a result of that award that they received, they have a $100,000 fitness room courtesy of governor brown, state of california. so that's really cool. you work hard, and you get some benefits for it. so thank you for that. remember, we have the power of two stations here. nbc bay area and telemundo. we joined forces. if you want more on that, just check out our website. 50 degrees in oakland. 50 degrees to start the day in san carlos. weather story of the day, sunny and warmer as we get into your afternoon. temps will be in the mid 60s by lunchtime. lunch on the water sound good to you? 64 degrees on the east shore. and you'll be at 65 degrees as

you break for lunch in the tri-valley, rounding out the day in the low to mid 70s. warm spot is going to be the north bay, up to 77 degrees. a mix of sun and clouds, as we head throughout the next couple days. first day of spring is friday. temperatures crash. we get a chance for showers, as promised. i wouldn't leave you hanging. here is your future cast. next best chance for rain arrives late friday night into saturday morning. mo we get a better chance for rain as we head throughout your monday into tuesday of next week. not expecting a drought-busting storm system, but enough to keep our hillsides green, and that's really good news when it comes to fire danger. we don't want to get too dry. not just yet. let's find out how your drive is doing. here's mike ininouye. >> just starting to build a little bit. this does look like compression happening in the last couple of seconds, but look over here. the traffic is stopping in a couple of these lanes. we're going to check on that. i'm looking at my traffic computer and i don't see

anything popping up. we'll track this, we'll look at your map, and we do see compression over here toward that area as well. and it's a little bit much for this time of the morning, happening over the next couple of minutes. now this is beginning on here. this is 680, the off ramp. that has had some debris there, so some slowing expected. there may just be a burst of traffic coming back, because there was debris. but that cleared a few minutes ago and might be enough to get the traffic just really building over toward that dublin interchange. the rest of the south bay looks nice except for hilliar avenue. we'll take a quick check of the bay bridge. coming up next, the u.s. embassy in japan on high alert after getting threatening phone calls against a member of the kennedy family. details next. you can find a new frontier.

there's nothing stopping you, and a lot helping you. technology that's with you always. this is our promise. it's never been better to wander, because wherever you go, you'll find us doing everything we can, so you can.

new this morning, the u.s. embassy in japan on alert after receiving phone calls threatening to kill ambassador kennedy. the death threats came last month from a caller speaking if english. police are investigating right now, but do not know the caller's motive. those threats come weeks after the u.s. ambassador to south korea was attacked with a knife. u.s. military officials confirm they've lost a

surveillance drone in syrian air space. the "l.a. times" reports the unarmed drone disappeared yesterday. reports have surfaced it was shut down by syrian air defenses, but the pentagon has not confirmed that. this is the first time a u.s. aircraft has gone down since president obama authorized air strikes against isis. okay, it took 20 yearsing but serbia has made its first arrest in the killings of thousands of muslims. in the summer of 1995, more than 8,000 bosnians killed in a massacre. the slaughter is often referred to as europe's worst since world war ii. this morning, prosecutors announced the arrest of seven men accused of taking part in the genocide. it appears benjamin netanyahu will remain israel's prime minister. challenger isaac herzog conceded defeat last night. the vote count is still not final and exit results still show a close race. if netanyahu is confirmed the winner, he would become the longest serving leader of israel. now bringing it back home.

time right now 5:26. rabid bats. another one found in the east bay. it's where the infected animals have been discovered that has parents on alert. plus, fallout from racist texts allegedly sent widens. >> a live look outside right now. that is the san jose skyline sparkling in the dark this morning. what kind of weather you can expect and how is the commute shaping up. we'll have checks on both of those things right after this break.

right now, san francisco police shoot and kill a woman who they say tried to run them down in a stolen car. plus, five unusual deaths in five days. detectives in the normally quiet bay area community try to figure out how a man's body ended up in a freezer. and it's a cool start to the day. a few clouds out there. we'll see a nice, sunny finish. just a few days left of

wintertime. we kick offspring on the 20th, but you may already be suffering injuries. traffic moving much better at the dublin interchange. someone hit their brakes and now it's moving. we'll talk about whether or not that onramp has opened up as well. there is the bay bridge. you're watching "today in the bay." >> from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> a good wednesday morning. thank you very much for joining us. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. what started as a routine search for a stolen car turned into a wild, frantic, and deadly chase in san francisco. >> stephanie chuang joining us now live from van ness and pine. it began when police approached a woman at a gas station inquiring about a stolen vehicle. >> reporter: that's right. good morning, sam and laura.

we're talking about two clothes in plain clothes. they approached her at that chevron station. she took off, driving into traffic. >> she's running people over. we've got shots fired. >> police say the woman drove up pine, made a u-turn, came back the wrong way, hitting cars before driving up on the sidewalk. we spoke with the man this morning whose car was hit. he said he walked away minutes before the bullets went flying. >> it's a little terrifying. especially in front of this building. definitely terrifying. pretty uncomfortable. >> the funeral driver died on scene. her car was towed around 4:00 this morning.

no one else was hurt. back here live, you're seeing glass debris that's still on pine street. possibly from the shot out window. those two officers who fired the weapons are on paid administrative leave. that is standard protocol. there will be a town hall meeting about this. the date has not been determined. live in san francisco, stephanie chuang, "today in the bay." a davis man is under arrest this morning accused of leading police on a high speed chase that spanned four bay area counties and ended in an explosive crash. >> police are saying it went south right down 680 into san jose and finally up the peninsula to the los altos hills. this is the end of the 90-minute chase from yesterday afternoon. the nissan suv, one tire blown out by police spike strips, flipped over on northbound 280.

a woman was walking on the overpass when she saw that crash unfold right below her. the driver got out surprisingly appearing to be unhurt. >> they told him to get down. he wouldn't. and that's when i thought this is it for him. >> that driver has been identified as 24-year-old ramon bernall of davis. two men charged in the death of an oakland mother are expected in court to enter their pleas. police arrested sheldon mcdaniels and jerry harpen over the weekend. police believe they were involved in the shootout that killed chenille pierce. she was trying to protect her young children when she was caught in the crossfire. the two men are facing homicide charges. a third man, 19-year-old anthony sims, is also facing charge. many a question over a gruesome and strange discovery in napa. police say a man's naked body was found inside of a freezer there. relatives went to check on the man yesterday since he hadn't been seen since last month.

that's when they found him inside of the apartment's freezer. police say there were no signs of a struggle or forced entry and that that man had a history of mental illness. the fallout is growing this morning of a racist and homophobic text reportedly sent between san francisco police officers. yesterday, the city's public defender said every case involving the five officers will be reviewed. some of those cases date back ten years. the text messages were discovered on the phone of former san francisco officer ian firmenger. a third dead bat found near a fremont school. >> health officials are testing it for rabies. kris sanchez live in fremont. she joins us with more details. good morning, kris. >> reporter: we know there is a third bat also being tested now for rabies. that one found near niles community park. we have confirmed that the one

that was found here on friday did, in fact, have rabies. it was on the playground of niles elementary school. that's why parents here will get notice from the alameda county vet control about the bat found on the playground. this is the second case in fremont in just two weeks, and knowing that kids use the niles elementary playground even when school is out, he carefully picked it up and called authorities. >> i cut off the end of the water bottle and schooled the bat up and put it inside the water bottle. >> reporter: his dog is in quarantine for three days just in case. another bat is undergoing

testing for rabies right now. a rabid bat can infect someone even without biting that person. if you come into contact with their saliva, it gets into a cut on your hand or rub your eyes, you could be infected and it is almost always fatal. so a good day to remind kids, no matter where you live in the bay area, that if they come upon a bat, they should not touch it. the folks in this community are beginning to get formal notices from their vector control. a san jose woman will have to pay up for her illegal collection of wildlife. she must serve 300 hours of community service for possessing illegal birds of prey. authorities caught her after she bought a stuffed french barn owl on e-bay. that bird, it turns out, is a protected species. it's 5:36. want to check in with meteorologist christina loren. he's got a look at our forecast. halfway through that workweek. >> we're halfway through.

it's going to be nice out there today. a touch warmer maybe. temperatures mostly in the 40s and 50s. we're on our way to the low 70s just about everywhere with the upper 70s. you'll be at 67 in san francisco and ten degrees warmer up in napa and santa rosa. so maybe you're somebody who has found yourself sniffling, sneezing, allergic to some of the pollen levels that we've had. they've been right turner high for the past couple days and i can tell you this is what ash looks like. these pollen levels will creep up. we look to drop off, getting into your all important weekend.

staying high all the way through saturday. i don't know about you, mike. do you suffer from allergies? i certainly don't, but my husband, i can't keep enough tissues in the house. >> he's also a sensitive guy and watches novellas on tv. i often say, when does christina say allergies are going to get better. we know when this is getting worse. right about now. the silicon valley showing a pretty typical pattern on our maps. there was an overnight crash. they're moving the car. they just needed the right size tow truck to reopen this onramp.

no major delays. the tri-valley moving pretty predictably. there's a new app designed to record every single move that you make. >> the whole point is to make doing your taxes easier. the mile iq app takes each drive you take. you swipe left for a personal trip, swipe right if it's 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 maps. which wasn't efficient at all and i probably missed hundreds of dollars every month. >> the app costs $6 a month. >> voluntary tracking. there's an idea. coming up, in his own words, 49ers linebacker chris borland talking about his decision to retire after just one season in the nfl. >> plus, poison in the mail. a letter addressed to the white house tests positive for cyanide.

up next, a live report from washington, d.c. we're back with 15 minutes of nonstop news, traffic, and weather after the brechblg -- break.

5:42 right now, as we take a look at san mateo. bob redell has been live all morning. he's going to bring us some interesting information about drought resistant plants this year. more testing is under way right now on an envelope addressed to the white house. that envelope, which is tested positive for cyanide twice. >> tracie potts joins us from washington, d.c. with more. >> reporter: good morning. there's a lot we don't know because the secret service isn't giving us a lot of detail. we don't know, for example, who it was directed to. we do know that it never made its way to the white house. this envelope was caught at an off site screening facility.

initially tested negative, then positive for cyanide. that's why they sent it out to do another test. according to reports, it had a milky substance. it was the online publication intercept that first reported about this, and they are reporting that the return address on this envelope was someone that the secret service already knew had been tracking, since 1995, a man who had sent multiple packages to the white house. sometimes with unusual content. in 2012, apparently it contained alcohol. nothing from the white house. no one hurt that we're aware of. and no further comment from the secret service while that investigation is on. >> good to see that protocol kicked in and worked. thank you very much. a grand jury is accusing a u.s. air force veteran of trying to join isis. the jury indicted tyron nathan webster pew of attempting to provide support to a terror organization. pew is a u.s. citizen who lived overseas. the court documents say he tried to enter turkey in january with the goal of crossing into syria to join isis.

eureka police want to know if 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 eureka about the time 16-year-old karen mitchell vanished in 1997. she was never found. that was 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 montuferi. she disappeared without a trace. at that time, durst had a home in northern california. a penn state fraternity in hot water over a private facebook page that investigators say clearly crossed the line. police say that frat members

showed photos and images of girls partially unclothed. police say they are considering criminal charges. penn state has suspended that fraternity. football is becoming a national debate. centered around retirement of a promising 49ers linebacker. now chris borland and his father are talking about his decision to call it quits. >> as a parent, also relieved. because, you know, 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 do that reform in that profession. >> jeff borland says he was a little surprised about the decision. he also said he didn't let any of his sons play until high school. chris borland said he's played through a couple of concussions already and questions whether it's worth it given what's known today about brain injuries.

>> for me personally, i don't think the risks were worth what i could gain from football. >> borland says he did plenty of research and talked with doctors and former players before making his decision. more than 70 former nfl players have been diagnosed with brain disease. >> stoked a lot of conversation within the nfl. with california's drought seemingly worsening by the day, water is at a premium for anyone who likes to garden. >> bob redell at the flower and garden show in san mateo. beautiful waters don't always have to come with exorbitant water bills. >> reporter: that's the idea, especially if you look at the trends we're seeing right now with the fourth year of the drought taking place. looks like we're in sonoma. we're actually here for the flower and garden show. you start out as an exhibiter with this show 15 years ago. i remember being there then. how has it changed? >> it's changed quite a bit.

in those days, we were still focusing on plants from around the world. this year we're really focusing on redefining the california landscape. we live in such a big, rich province where we have more plants than anywhere else in the world and we don't use them. so we're using them now. >> and how much have the droughts played a role in the way people are designing gardens? >> it plays a huge part. we know this water is limited and we have to use it for the best purpose. so we're going to put it on our native plants because they take less water. >> reporter: let's say you've had people in the bay area for a long time. things are changing with the water restrictions. how hard is it to go drought tolerant? is it harder than people imagine? >> it's not hard at all, as long as you have the right information, it's easy and a lot more fun because you can eat

your landscape. >> reporter: what tolerance are we talking about? >> 85%. it's huge. >> reporter: what are you seeing as far as the changes in the plants? >> well, my trees are moving north. they're coming up here. we have the coast live oaks. they are now moving to san francisco. they just love it up anne here and it's too warm down here. >> reporter: it's that dramatic for you? >> hugely dramatic. they're moving about 300 to 400 miles north. >> reporter: when the trees die, what are you replacing them with? >> we're replacing them with trees that would be growing in baja. >> reporter: no way. >> yeah. >> reporter: if someone comes here not only to look, but they get ideas then? >> they get ideas and they can actually boy these plants. the plants that are in these gardens are being sold online right now so they can sit down, come see them here, go home,

look through the catalog online and figure out what they can start doing and get all the advice they need right here. >> thank you very much. okay, you guys. the show opens a 10:00 this morning. this is the 30th year of the sf flower and garden show. most recently taking place in the san mateo county expo center and it runs through sunday. one of the big themes you're seeing this year. i can't believe when i was at the palace years ago, it was jungles. here you see -- definitely you can see these plans don't need as much water and it makes sense. we're in the fourth year of this drought for crying out loud now. >> what a difference. really a seen of the times. >> going to be the new normal. we're waiting for an explanation about what that giant fork was doing there. new statewide restrictions will limit how often you can water. the state waterboa board looked

this. among the rules they came up with, no watering within two days of rain. all restaurants will serve water only when customers request it and with a record low snow pack that christina has been chronicling for a long time now. even more drastic measures could be in the works. >> and if you request that water at a restaurant, make sure you drink it. a group of south bay students are in the big apple today presenting their ideas about feeding the drought. the engineering students created a project called don't waste a drop. it's already won state awards. now they're competing in a national contest in new york. the winning school gets more than $100,000 in technology. >> very cool. and people are having to get very creative now, christina. you're tracking average rainfall. looks like it's constituent respectable. >> you made a good point when you brought up that snow pack and how meager that has been. you might be wondering, why are we still calling this our four

drought ye -- fourth drought year? it's because of the snow pack. even the historic storms in december, they have not provided enough snow. probably has something to do with the minor el nino. we're going to be talking about this more and more. 49 degrees, we're already seeing that in san jose. 43 in san martin. good morning to you, oakland. we're going to show you those averages that sam was talking about in just one moment. sunny and warmer for today. temperatures will be just above average this afternoon, but as we get out there, your forecast shows you by lunchtime today, mid 60s, rounding out the day in the mid to low 70s. a little bit of fog expected

later tonight. temperatures look good for tomorrow. not much fog expected whatsoever at the coast. 77 degrees in the south bay. 72 for your friday. first official day of spring. and then saturday and sunday, we get our next chance for shower activity. not expecting much, though. here are those rainfall season averages. we're still at average this year when it comes to our rainy season. in mountain view, we're doing okay. above 75% across the bay area. as we get these storms, it looks like we'll be able to stay at or near average, but we need that snow pack to really get out of this drought, just for this year. next rain chance arrives as we head into saturday. a better chance at the beginning of next week. we'll talk more about that coming up. plus we've got your weekend event forecast, including a chance for you if you're a grown-up to get into some legos.

mike, i picked this one just for you. >> the metering lights were turned on. we've seen the backup here. you've seen the sensors slowing from the incline all the way back to the berkley curve. that's a typical build. nothing dramatic. down toward the bay bridge and the maze. a smooth flow of traffic, as we soomd out, we're looking toward the east bay, looking toward the tri-valley as well. we did see a lot of slowing to the edge. that lasted for about 15 minutes, continuing to ripple back and forth.

we all know about that. nothing surprising down in towards fremont. hellyer avenue, the onramp has reopened to northbound 101. an overnight crash did have that closed for quite some time. the rest of your south bay, pretty typical build. a little bit late picking up. back to you guys. >> thanks, mike. you may have this in your home. kraft recalling those blue and yellow boxes of macaroni and cheese because they might contain pieces of metal. >> they're pretty popular with kids. the recall only applies to the original flavor macaroni and cheese. it's in that 7.25 ounce size. the expiration dates between september 18th and october 11th 2015. kraft says it has received eight complaints, but no injuries reported. another recall to tell you about as well from trader joe's. this one for raw walnuts. the nuts may be contaminated with salmonella. most of the affected nuts come in trader joe's branded bags

with a december 2015 expiration date. scott mcgrew, rushed back for fed day. >> just for us i thought. finally some clarity as to when we might see a hike in interest rates. the first one in ten years. >> i would never miss fed day. we hope for clarity. we expect the fed will issue a statement strongly hinting it's going to raise rates as soon as june. excellent employment numbers tops among the reasons to raise the rate. on the other hand, with the fed, there's always another hand, consumer spending is surprisingly low. maybe it's because of this. the weather has just been awful forever this winter throughout the united states. raise the rates to make sure the economy doesn't run wild, while at the same time trying not to

raise them too soon and throw a wrench in a solid recovery. facebook is showing off a new way to give money to your friends. you link your facebook messenger account to your debit card and by texting the dollar sign, an amount, and typing the buy button, your friend gets the money credited to his or her debit card. experiment like a thousand bucks. >> are you the recipient? >> you start, sam. >> i'll look for my best friends in the newsroom. >> i'm looking for more friends. japan has its first mull 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. her victory has generated a huge discussion online. some questions about whether a multi-racial person can fully represent japan, but many others are praising her for redefining

what it means to be japanese. let's go out of this world now. the second astronaut to walk on the moon has a new mission, getting uget ing us to mars. buzz aldrin tweeted this photo of himself at stonehenge in a superman pose wearing a mars t-shirt. it's part of the campaign for the united states to focus on a long-term goal of human settlement on the red planet. a very strange discovery in the east bay. another rabid bat found in fremont this time near an elementary school. the warning going out to parents this morning. and we're learning for about a murder-suicide in napa involving a wine maker and one of his investors from the south bay.

mt. hood was left off the list. so was the oregon coast, the columbia river gorge and the painted hills. smith rock and the wallowas are all missing. whoever named the seven wonders never set foot in oregon, because even crater lake was left off their list. so we see your wonders world, and raise you seven of our own. the seven wonders of oregon. see one, or better yet, see them all.

chaos on busy san francisco streets. police shoot and kill a woman they say was driving a stolen car right toward officers. a grisly discovery in wine

country. investigators want to know how a man's body ended up in a freezer. and another rabid bat found just feet away from where hundreds of kids play. good wednesday morning to you. lots of sunshine coming your way. we'll give you your microclimate forecast in moments. plenty of cars out here. well-lit freeway approaching the bay bridge. we have an update from the south bay as well. mike, you have a view of the bay bridge. so do i this morning. it's wednesday, march 18th. this is "today in the bay." >> from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> and good morning. thank you for joining us on this wednesday. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. we are following developing news in the north bay. right now, sonoma sheriffs are looking for a