day, maybe even early tomorrow as we take a look at the radar, we do see the showers farther to the north, moving into the north bay and we already had a wave that passed through most of the bay area creating slippery conditions and wet roads. it's now 39 degrees in the north bay while the tri-valley is at 50 degrees and today's highs brings it up to 53 degrees in san francisco and the peninsula and the tri-valley 51. cool, wet and a few thunderstorms possible. i'll detail all of that coming up in just a few minutes. sam and kira. happening later today, a fairfield babysitter due in court. she's accused of killing a toddler. thor thompson died at the uc davis medical center after being found unresponsive. fairfield police this week arrested gina bailey. she violently shook the boy and then dropped him. she is a military wife and babysitting thor in fairfield. yesterday she gave us her side

of the story in a jailhouse interview. she says she didn't do it. >> did the baby fall on the floor under your care? as far as you know, the baby never fell. >> the boy spit up blood and blacked out when she was driving him home. the toddler suffered a severe brain injury. a possible break in the investigation of a deadly hit ask run in san francisco. police there are asking for help identifying an image that they say may be the driver's car. this is the image taken from surveillance camera. police say a four-door black honda or nissan sedan. this happened early friday morning. happened near the 24th street b.a.r.t. station and anyone who recognizes this car should call san francisco police. the legal battle takes a new turn now. two years after officials first issued her death certificate. the girl's family attorney is

file agnew federal lawsuit demanding the teen's death certificate be revoked. on video conference from new jersey her mother says she doesn't believe her now 15-year-old girl is braindead. she lived in new jersey on a ventilator for almost two years. doctors at children's hospital, oakland, declared her brain dead following complications from surgery back in 2013. the family claims her moves her fingers on command. she's entered puberty, a development that means her brain is functioning. the director of ethics says that hormone function is not the same as brain function. >> no doubt that she does not meet the criteria for brain death. >> sometime there's is some pituitary functioning even in patients that meet standard, neurological criteria for brain death. >> it appears that her family has not applied the american

academy of neurology standard tests for brain death. he also says since this case became widely known, he's seen an increase in the number of families challenging a brain death diagnosis. it's christmas eve and no surprise the holiday rush is under way from the shopping malls to the airports. people were out in droves last night. aaa says 11 million californians are expected to drive 50 miles over the next ten days. chp says it will do maximum enforcement to ensure safety on the roads and despite the stress that can be coupled with the holidays, some people still kept that christmas spirit. >> i love the rush. a lot of people, long lines, but pretty good deals, i think. >> and an extra special time for this couple. our cameras caught this marriage proposal right next to the huge christmas tree in san francisco's union square. how fantastic that we captured that. >> no pressure there, she better say yes. 5:03 right now. if you're looking to help

broithen the holiday for kids in need, today is your lucky day. >> your annual last-minute toy drive and bob redell is live in san francisco and he was in the north poll and now he's back in san francisco where it's all happening. bob, how long can this last and what can people expect as they show up? >> good morning and merry christmas to you, kira. carollers showing up. this is the 15th year that they've been doing this. a last-minute drive and trying to get more of these bins filled up and they do have toys here already. as they were mentioning to us earlier, they do need more especially for the tween girl age. good morning to you, lee. >> hey, kira. >> what do you want to tell people out there who are sitting at home thinking, you know, i thought all these toy drives are over because it is, obviously, christmas eve day. >> we are plugged into the needs of the community here in san francisco and surprisingly the

need is bigger than it's ever been before. last year, 10,000 toys. we did it. we got them all out and we got them all delivered. this year the requests exceed 15,000. we have a storm coming into town. people will drive by on 333 gary street at union square and they'll take your unwrapped toys. you can go on to the website at www.leftiesp www.leftiestoys.com. >> we start our first delivery today. we leave here at 8:30 and head out to the bay view. then there is another delivery out here. >> you have church organizations, as well. >> start showing up now, if you can. obviously, also make donations online and cash always works. reporting live here, bob redell, "today in the bay." they're honoring a

14-year-old girl and sending a message of peace and gun violence. the city of morgan hill outside council chambers. she was killed in a drive-by shooting her dad spent years. it is meant to serve as a visual reminder that the city is committed to keeping children safe. the statue is expected to be completed by spring. any warriors fan will tell you, steph curry electroifying on the court. but now he's part of a message making waves off the court. curry is among nba players taking a stand on gun violence. some of the most high-profile players in the league are appearing in a psa calling on communities to stop gun violence. the ads will appear on christmas day. this psa is personal and direct when it comes to stopping bloodshed in oour innur inner c. >> if you look at the history of

sports, a place where people who have nothing else in common can have a discussion about things that are really important to our society. >> a lot of guys in the nba come from inner city and a lot of guys struck by it and for nba to take that stand and try to help make a difference. i think that's huge. >> green there. the psa even got the attention of the president of the united states. president obama tweeted this, sympathy for victims isn't enough. change requires all of us speaking up. many families forever changed after tornadoes ripped through mississippi killing a 7-year-old boy. a twister flipped over a semi on the freeway yesterday. in a separate incident, a child was tlohrown from a car on the road. homes damaged, barely recognizable because of that storm that passed through. two people killed in tennessee. one of the other states killed by storms.

we've been talking about the fact that tornadoes making travel also very difficult for folks here. here, kari, conditions a lot calmer. >> a lot calmer and a possibility of a few thunderstorms popping up this afternoon, but mainly some mainspread rain with the heaviest rain beginning to spread through as we go through the morning. still seeing scattered showers across parts of the east bay and the south bay. in the north bay a little bit more of a widespread rain and chilly temperatures, too. and it's lining up with 101 from hillsburg to santa rosa and wet conditions there and vallejo down towards san rafael and also down towards mill valley. once again, several waves of this rolling through and breaks in between and chilly temperatures starts to funnel in to the bay area and also produces snow in the sierra. if you are heading to the east, make sure you have the tire chains that are a requirement today and very cold air moving in. as we go into the weekend, we're

expecting the lows to drop down into the 20s for the valleys. i'll give you an idea what to expect as we move into the weekend and a closer look at the rain and how much we may see coming up in less than ten minutes. >> kari, thanks. the holidays are usually a time for taking stock and figuring out where you stand. find out if the same theory holds true for presidential contenders with little time to spare. a streaming video service a lot of people use. the victim of hackers. what users are now being told to keep their personal information safe.

we don't get too wrapped up in the holidays, let's not forget about some politics. senator ted cruz stepping up his response to a "washington post" editorial cartoon that he called tasteless. >> "today in the bay" ed lawrence is live in washington. ed? >> well, kira and sam, you almost don't want to turn away from this presidential election cycle. donald trump started things off and now we may have a short break. >> when they divide us up, they win. when we stand together, as one people, we win. >> the candidates for president may finally be taking a break from the rhetoric for the holidays. >> we celebrate christmas eve, we have 60 people from our family coming over tomorrow. we have some work to do to set all that up. >> reporter: still senator ted cruz took parting shots releasing this editorial cartoon

via twitter. hillary clinton walking with what cruz describes as her lap dog. "washington post" and "new york times." this in response to an editorial cartoon and his young daughters as monkeys. the cartoon was pulled. >> leave the kids alone. leave my kids alone. leave marco's kids alone, leave hillary's kid and grandkids alone. kids should be off limits and "the washington post" should know that. >> analysts say donald trump has thrown the traditional campaign playbook out the window. >> shaking the system to its roots and upending the way. >> reporter: as he does that, the poll numbers continue to rise. >> and the latest cnn, orc poll shows that donald trump is leading with 39% of republican voters, second place senator ted cruz at 18%. reporting live in washington, edward lawrence, now back to you, kira, sam.

>> thanks. not for ed nor us for, a short work day for some people out there. >> we'll go to the hardest working woman in the markets in business. kate rogers live at cnbc headquarters. what is going on this morning, kate? >> hi, sam and kira. thank you for the compliment. the markets will try to give investors an early christmas present today. futures were lower and since turned higher. stocks posting a third straight day of gains thanks to the energy sector as oil prices had their biggest gain. we get data on unemployment and a short day of trading. the markets will close at 1:00 p.m. eastern. the dow raising 185 points to 17602. the nasdaq up. live stream is warning customers its account database may have been hacked. the company is recommending that they change their passwords and live stream does let client such as spotify and the nba broadcast

live with a camera and computer over the web. some retailers are telling customers that holiday packages are being delayed by several days. the "wall street journal" reports chains such as eddie bauer blaming a backlog at fedex. they are going around the clock to accommodate a surge and its network is performing like it should. back over to you guys. >> that wind is closing. thank you, kate. well, some san francisco food a little bit bummed out today. >> yeah, that's because one of the city's favorite late night diner is serving its final meal. the lucky penny has been a san francisco institution since the '60s. been around a lot longer than that. new target and best buy across the street. the old school diner is known for its comfort food like pigs in a blanket and patty melt. the place isn't fancy, but customers love it. >> we started to come and then derek when he was born, he came

and he loves their -- >> food. >> what kind of food? >> breakfast. >> it's a chance to see everything in san francisco that we knew leave. >> it is a common theme. the diner is being torn down to make room for brand-new luxury condos and other retail stores. lucky penny, by the way, closes this afternoon at 2:00. get in those last comfort meals. a lot of people, meantime,ing th themselves up in blankets today. >> wrapping presents, too. it all comes together. >> still have some of that to do today. a day to try to stay inside and just take in this rain that we so desperately need and we keeping waves and waves of it. we'll see off and on showers all throughout the day. a live look at the golden gate bridge and it's wet. so, as you head out and you have to work today. just take it easy. take it slow. make sure you have the umbrella and the rain gear. maybe even some boots or some comfortable shoes you don't mind

getting wet because some puddles today, especially once some of those heavier downpours move in. as we take a look at the radar. we see more widespread rain further to the north and we've seen a couple waves of light showers rolling through. so far only getting trace amounts of rain across the bay area. just enough to create some slick conditions. and we've had some heavier downpours moving through parts of the north bay around san helena the darker shades of green showing heavier rain and that just moved through santa rosa, as well as petaluma. this is approaching the delta at this point with the cell that is producing heavy rain out of vallejo and moving towards spots like pittsburg and antioch. now temperatures in the upper 40s and lower 50s. it's 47 degrees in parts of the east bay. and the wind is coming in today make it feel blustery, especially as those temperatures stay cool. only reaching into the low 50s. our winds coming in onshore up to about 30 miles an hour throughout the morning.

and with king tides and the high tide happening shortly before 10:00 this morning, the wind helping that, the water pile up along the coast. so that may create some flooding. and this evening we still have some gusty winds. it's sustained winds at 25, maybe 30 miles an hour. the futurecast shows that we will have some heavy rain rolling through as many people get out and about doing some shopping. by 3:00, we have scattered rain here on the map and then it starts to wind down later on tonight. still some leftover moisture and some of the snow that will continue in the sierra. if you're traveling in that direction, keep in mind that you do need the tire chain as the snow continues into the day tomorrow. rainfall totals are looking at about 0.25. maybe a little bit higher. some lighter amounts in spots like napa and santa rosa. 0.1. but coming off of a storm system that earlier this week brought several inches of rain across parts of the bay area. today, expect highs in the lower 50s and off and on rain.

there will be at times some peeks of sunshine. so, expect that, too. only reaching 50 degrees today in napa and a live look at the radar now. some more snow rolling into south lake tahoe and we see the snow that will be with us, once again, throughout tonight, tomorrow and into the weekend. before this all wraps up. in the bay area, it will be chilly heading into christmas day. highs only in the low 50s. 55 degrees in the peninsula on saturday and more of the same on sunday. with another chance of rain late sunday evening into early monday. but the other big story will how cold the temperatures will be once this system moves out. we're only looking at highs in the upper 20s for morgan hill and also walnut creek on saturdaying. sunday morning, we'll have a few more spots dipping down to the upper 20s and lower 30s. freezing temperatures and when we have weather this cold, now is the time to think about helping out people, plants, pets and your pipes. those exposed pipes may also

freeze, especially in the north bay. where we will be below freezing for several hours during those morning hours. i'll have another look at the forecast coming up for now back to you, sam and kira. >> the flthree ps. good advice rvesh . if you are an avid stargazer. an asteroid will fly by the earth. images taken by nasa scientists in pasadena. this christmas eve asteroid will the earth at a distance of 6.8 million miles. that's about 28 times the consist distance between the earth and the moon. if you want to catch a glimpse of it, you'll need a telescope. 5:20 right now. coming up next. deadly storms causing havoc in the south bay, but that's not all. ologi also having an impact on people with last-minute travel plans. airport." protesters made

a chaotic scene yesterday at minneapolis international airport. protesters made their way inside both terminals forcing security checkpoints to close down. all part of an action. a man died when officers responded to reports of an assault. >> but it wasn't just minneapolis. the motivation behind that protest resonated across the country, including right here in the bay area.

locally eight women stood across the lanes on the exit on 101 yesterday demanding justice for mario woods. two weeks ago san francisco police officers shot and killed woods when they say he wouldn't drop his knife. yesterday's protests last about 15 minutes. authorities ultimately arrested all eight women. it's 5:24 right now. the winter solstice just days ago and already this season is off to a dangerous start for millions of people across the country. >> more than a dozen reported tornadoes swept across the deep south stretching across the heartland and claiming at least seven lives. >> reporter: a rare sight for december. a massive funnel cloud near clarksdale, mississippi. >> the south and midwest on and under the gun. >> tornado emergency continues for the cell that has been tracking through north mississippi this afternoon. >> reporter: roofs ripped from

homes. the same system throwing cars off the roadway near holly springs, mississippi. numerous tornado watches and warnings in effect for at least ten states. >> we are still looking at that risk of tornado activity especially across parts of tennessee and mississippi. 72 million people that will still see the chance of some sort of severe weather overnight. >> reporter: in arkansas, soaking rains and high winds pushed a tree on to a house killing an 18-year-old woman. >> you only hear about these stories. you don't expect you to be in them the storms brought heavy rains else where in the south, making driving tough for truckers and holiday travelers alike. and in the nation's busiest airports, weather added to the wait. >> been delayed two hours. >> reporter: as millions make their way home for the holiday. nbc news. >> never an easy trek. coming up next, a call for help this christmas eve. >> that's right. i'm bob redell take you live to

san francisco where it's not even too late. here we are christmas eve day to donate toys for kids in need. we'll explain how, coming up in a live report. >> never too late, bob. one south city finds a way to hawn aryoung girl. it's a way they hope also makes the statement about senseless violence. joining us. i'm kira klapper

in for laura good morning, it is 5:28. thank you for joining us. i'm kra klapper in for laura

dparsia canon. >> i'm sam brock. >> everyone has been talking about how warm it is across the east coast, but also had a lot of rain. and now we're getting rain, too. a cool rain. chilly off and on as we go through the day. the rain off and on throughout the day with chilly temperatures being the constant thing. as we take a look at what's happening and the bigger picture we see the widespread showers and a closer look shows some of the showers moving through the east bay creating some wet oroads and some slick conditions. people waking up early if you have to go to work, keep in mind you need to allow some extra time to get to where you're going and the flow of traffic is fairly light. take it easy. as we go through the day, highs only reach to the low to mid-50s and the chance of a few thunderstorms will be in the forecast as we go into the afternoon. i'll detail that and what to expect heading into the weekend. looks pretty cold. that's coming up in just a few minutes.

>> kari, thanks. happening now. 'tis the season to be giving. today is your chance to help make the holidays merry and bright for thousands of families. >> holding its annual last-minute toy drive for kids in need. bob redell joining us live in san francisco. i think, bob, you have some holiday songs and caroling going on right now. >> we should at any moment. we have the piano playing, which is always wonderful, especially at 5:30 in the morning. good morning to you and merry christmas to you, sam and kari. the 15th year they've been doing their last-minute toy drive. the age group that they're really short on right now are the tweens. tween girls specifically. tom, who are these kids? >> good morning. merry christmas. they're kids in san francisco that need toys. underprivileged kids that don't really have a lot and we want to give them something.

that's something lefty would have done. just trying to follow in his footsteps and keep up that history. >> he was your cousin? >> he was my cousin. he was all for the kids. all about kids. teach baseball, get them out of trouble and keep them on a ball field. >> last year you helped 10,000 kids and this year shooting for 50,000. is that because demand has gone up or getting more toys? >> the demand goes up every year. it will continue to go up. but as long as we're here to help, we're going to do it. >> i imagine you get to see some of these kids. what is that like for you? >> it's heartwarming. it's absolutely heartwarming. puts a little choke in your throat and it's a wonderful thing. >> don't need the heimlich. >> no, we'll be fine. >> merry christmas to you, tom. >> last-minute toy drive. you can donate toys throughout the day and delivering them throughout the day, as well. also go online and find their website and you can donate money, if you'd like. bob redell, "today in the bay." >> nice to see how much coverage

this toy drive is getting. christmas came a little early for dozens of people in the central valley. they got a nice surprise from sheriffs deputies and not tickets. earlier this week instead of handing out fines for violations, deputies were handing out cash as a means to spread some christmas cheer. with the help of an anonymous donation of $5,000, deputies pinpointed several homes, knocked on doors and even pulled over drivers to hand out money. >> just a random act of kindness for the holiday season. yes, for you. >> are you serious? >> i'm serious. we would like to give you $100. hopefully this helps make your holidays. >> thank you, thank you. >> thank you. >> you're welcome. >> little bit of shock there. the sheriffs say it's an opportunity to let the community see them in a different light just in time for the holidays. they hope to continue and expand that programt year. a southwest airplane is out

of service after making an emergency landing at oakland international yesterday. problems with the landing gear forced pilots to abort a trip to chicago and circle back to oakland. before the plane could land, pilots had to burn off tons of fuel. they circled the central valley for four hours. some passengers were shaken by the whole thing, but were told southwest quickly rebooked them on other flights. speaking of flights, changes are coming to airport security just in time for everyone traveling today or tomorrow. the tsa can now force some passengers to go through a body scanner, even if that person asks to opt out and get a full-body pat down, instead. the agency says the technology of the scanner improves its ability to detect both metallic and nonmetallic objects that could pose a threat. objects that a pat down could miss. heightened security over possible terror attacks. some relief right now for pg& pg&e. released half of the charges

against the utility company. pg&e faces one count of obstructing justice and 12 counts still of violating record keeping and pipeline integrity management requirements. all of those stemming from the deadly pipeline explosion in san bruno back in 2010. that explosion killed eight people and injured nearly 70ers and destroyed dozens of homes. pg&e facing a $1.6 billion penalty. despite his action, the judge says this does not diminish the seriousness of this case. pg&e is scheduled to be back in court early march. a follow up for milpitas police are looking for a man who stole an's patrol car. it happened early yesterday morning on south main street. investigators say an officer got out of his squad car to check on what he thought was a suspicious van. well, a man just slipped right into his patrol car and drove away. police used gps equipment installed in the police cruiser to track it down in neighboring

san jose. officers found it, it was abandoned. and by then the suspect was on to the next crime. he carjacked this suv from a woman. the south bay city has a new plan to honor a young girl in hopes of sending a message about gun violence. the city of morgan will soon place a statue of 14-year-old tara romere ow outside council chambers. >> she was killed four years ago in a drive-by shooting. >> reporter: she was 14 years old. waiting for a ride home after a birthday party in november, 2011, when she was caught in the crossfire of what police called a-related drive by shooting. she died at the scene. >> i just can't believe that something like this would happen. >> reporter: tara's father, of rumero, has spent years fighting for justice and to honor his daughter. >> it was like ripping my heart out as he battled with depression following her death. he came up with an idea to have a statue made of her spending thousands of dollars to make it a reality.

>> it became a challenge and it kind of got me out of bed, too. >> reporter: the statue is expected to be completed by spring and now the morgan hill city council has decided to place it front and center. right between city hall and city council chambers in a new area deemed the demonstration garden being built next month. >> while it does represent tara romero a good reminder of any child in our community and making sure that, you know, we are committed to maintaining that safety. >> reporter: the statue will also have a explaining what happened to tara with the hope of spreading a message of peace through the city and region. >> and i just hope that all this has a positive effect on the community. >> reporter: joseph, who now lives in fresno, says he's happy tara's memory will live on in morgan hill and that the city will use this open space to help fill his empty heart. in morgan hill, ian cole, nbc bay area news. well, it is 5:36 right now. we'll check in with meteorologist kari hall ahead of

a wet day. >> rain off and on now as we take a live look at the golden gate bridge. now we have rain drops on the lens and that creates some very slippery conditions on some of the roads. the rains to move in from the north and as we go into the morning, it will get heavier as we see more widespread rain across parts of the north bay now moving into san francisco and parts of the east bay and we do have that rain, the darker the green showing the heavier downpours moving from san francisco over towards oakland and concord. chilly, too. only in the upper 40s and throughout the day expect more of this rain that will be very chilly with some gusty winds. by lunchtime, we still have scattered showers and some light rainfall accumulations. by this afternoon, the rain continues to roll on through and there's that chance that we could have is some snow on some of the very high elevations across the bay area. looking at that. along with highs that will only be in the low 50s today and some

spots making it into the mid-50s like san ramon up to 55 degrees and hayward 54 degrees. a very cool weather continues as we head into the weekend, even as the rain moves out. i'll detail that coming up in just a minutes. sam and kira. 5:38 and happening today the north american aeroospace commander will be tracking santa claus as he makes his way across the world to bring gifts to good boys and girls. you will we able to virt follow along on nored a's app and website. he has been tracking the big, jolly man in red for 60 years and making sure he and his reindeer are safe in the sky. i've done this for years. now they have an app. >> they do. quite a worldly fellow. he's in new york and london, all over that graphic. >> he has to go to every house in the world, sam. as for these next two stories, they're basically for the birds. first a christmas miracle.

officer helped release that bird back into the wild yesterday. the crow has been recovering from an injured wing since november. actually the officer who injured the bird accidentally running it over with his police issued mountain bike. so, he took the bird to the animal care wild center where it was nursed all the way back to health. >> that's nice. to a crow to a follow up for one lucky duck. a happy ending to a long-running fight. wanteta escaped back in september. when she was found, the people who lived there were otold they couldn't have her back because federal law prevents people from keeping wild animals as pets. with the help of a congressman and somemal groups, the assisted living facility was finally able to get the duck and here she is, home, once again, as part of the return agreement the facility is developing a program to use juanita to teach local children about ducks. >> totally in her element in the pond with her friends.

you may have to excuse some raiders fans. why they may be a little more emotional when their team takes the field tonight. here comes the songs. christmas comes one day early for beatles fans who suddenly have access to their entire library. got a tip for nbc bay area investigative unit? call 1-888-996-tips or e-mail theunit@nbcbayarea.com. nbc bay area, we investigate. happening today... ==cam== some

raiders fans may be wondering "is this it?" a live look at the coliseum - where the team hosts the san happening later today. some raider fans are wondering, is this it? that's definitely the coliseum. that's where the team is going to host the san diego chargers tonight. but possibly the raiders' last game ever at the coliseum. the team is flirting with the group that wants to move both them and the chargers to a new stadium in southern california next season. any decision, though, still up in the air. what we do know is this will be the last home game for raiders' legend charles woodson. one of the all-time great cornerbacks and now safeties. he recently announced his plans to retire. the raiders drafted them in 199. it is a sure fire first ballot hall of famer. many call him one of the best defensive backs to ever play the game. a follow up now san leandro police say a shooting at a popular nightclub was motivated

by hate. two suspects are in custody. police say the men made repeated statements about the victim's sexuality during the fight late sunday night. investigators say he ordered him to open fire. four people were shot. all are expected to survive. policeage to track down a van to one of the suspect's homes and arrested both men. another breach to watch out for this holiday. check your credit card statements. hyatt has been hacked. the hotel chain recently found malicious software on one of its computer systems. hyatt has hired outside security experts to figure out and what information hackers might have gotten their hands on. in the meantime, hyatt officials say they're ramping up their computer and asking customers to monitor bank and credit card statements. at 5:44 right now. her is losing her memory, but a south bay woman is reenacting one of their favorite memories over and over again to try to remain close with her. >> her unique mission is not only warming people's hearts but

leaving a good taste in their mouths. here's garvin thomas with our bay area proud. >> laura lucas says no matter how good the cause, it can always be a tough thing to just come out and ask people for money to support it. it's much easier when you have something to give them in return. and in laura's case, much more touching, as well. >> come sit over here. i have some cookies for you. >> reporter: up until a few years ago, laura lucas, like the rest of us, really, never imagined it could be possible to miss someone who was sitting right across from her. but then her mom, sharon, only in her mid-50s at the time was diagnosed with alzheimer's. sharon now doesn't recognize laura, her husband, john or any other member of her family. >> there's your granddaughter. look at her red hair. look how cute is. >> i feel so, like, awkward around her, which is really hard for me because this is the woman

that used to be my best friend in the whole world. >> reporter: and if laura couldn't feel close to her mother when she was with her, she wondered if she could ever feel that connection, again. well, laura did find a way. in, of all places, this box. it holds a connection of recipes given to sharon and john on their wedding day. one recipe, in particular, always more special to laura than the others. >> i have a lot of memories of being in the kitchen, rolling out the snicker doodle dough with her. yeah, yeah, we made them together a lot. >> reporter: so laura started baking those snicker doodles and baking and baking and baking. so many, in fact, she began selling gift boxes of three dozen for $25. 100% of the money donated to the walk to end alzheimer's. whole weekends are now dedicated in laura's apartment to nothing

but snicker doodle baking. and in just three years, laura has baked more than 15,000 cookies and raised more than $15,000. all by herself, but never alone. >> heat up the oven and i pop the cookies in. that smell, that mel. the act of rolling the cookose ought and putting them on a baking sheet. she's there with me. it's my way of healing and my way of getting through it and spending time with her and paying trib to her. >> reporter: the goal, of course, laura says, is to ultimately find a cure for alzheimer's. until that happens, though, laura will continue to confront the tragedy of memory loss with some of her warmest memories. >> laura ended up baking more than 8,000 cookies this year. putting her over 20,000 cookies baked and $25,000 raised over the life of the project. garvin thomas, nbc bay area news.

>> and more than not we can't watch all of garvin's stories because they make us cry. no exception to the rule there. nice story. >> you have a good forecast for us. we had a dry day and now we're back to the rain. >> today is the day you're inside and hopefully settled in with family and today we'll have the rain off and on. if you have to run out and do some shopping today or as you can see people were just rolling on across the bay bridge, maybe you still have to work this morning. it is wet as we go through the morning commute. getting even more soggy with some slippery road conditions possible. now, as we take a live look at san rafael, along the s curve you see that the cars are rolling on by, but you may encounter some of those pudzldl as the rain continues to fall. more heavy rain and the storm system arriving. once again, the next round

bringing in several waves of rain. now, this one won't be as wet as the one we had earlier in the week, but maybeilatal bit more potent in the sense that it will bring the potential for some thunderstorms as we go into the morning and early afternoon. and some heavier rain now rolling across san francisco and oakland over towards concord and then right behind that, we do see some showers moving through san rafael and, once again, taking a look at that camera. you can see that it is wet. the winds also kicking up. sustained winds at 25 miles per hour throughout the morning. at times it will take a break and will have some gusts that could kick up to 30 miles an hour and this afternoon still windy. winds coming in from the northwest as that cold air continues to rush in. so, this will be a cold rain and you need the heavier jacket, the umbrella and also the rain boots or some shoes you don't mind that will get a little bit wet. we go into tonight, though. rain starts to taper off and still bey and cold and still a chance of some of those showers rolling through, especially for the north bay and along the coast. the rainfall totals expected to

reach 0.25 and, once again, that will be just enough to make things sock soggy and then we dry it out tomorrow on christmas day. we will have mostly sunny skies. highs only in the low 50s and some breezy winds in san francisco. you're looking at a high of 51 degrees. 54 tomorrow. as we go into the east bay and the tri-valley in the low 50s, too. if you're planning to go to lake tahoe this weekend, it is going to be very hard to get there with those tire chains. you have to double the amount of time you expect to get there. and snow will continue as wae go into the day. as well as tomorrow. and also maybe even early on. snowfall totals expected to reach about two feet in twin bridges. they just had about 36 inches of snow in a 24-hour period. with that last storm system that moved through. so, we have about 80 inches of snow in some spots. maybe even a little bit higher. so, once again, hazardous travel heading through the sierra. in the bay area, it will be

chilly. once the rain moves out tomorrow, we'll have a dry start to the weekend and then another chance of rain late sunday night into early monday. so, our active weather continues and then in between, we'll have some very chilly mornings. expected lows will drop down into the 20s. the coldest morning will be on saturday and then sunday we're still below freezing and now is the time to ahead and make some plans and take care of people who maybe left outside plants, as well as plants and those exposed pipes will be prone to burst, especially in the north bay where temperatures will be below freezing for several hours. back to you, sam and kira. >> a lot of people be at the warming shelters for sure. before last night's win over the jazz, steph curry hosted ten kids with a make a wish foundation. all those children are suffering from life-threatening medical conditions. kids got to hang out with the mvp during the morning shoot around. curry signed autographs and

posed for photos and handed out gift bags. later in the day, all children got to go to the game, too. as well as eat dinner with the warriors dance team. we first told you about this yesterday, but today it is official. you can now stream your favorite beatles song. >> streaming services are going to carry the iconic group's music include apple music, google play, amazon prime music, as well as spotify. just to name a few. for fans it's been a long time coming because music experts say the timing of it all makes sense. >> definitely proof, i mean, we knew this already within the record industry and proof to everybody that the streaming stuff is on a dominant platform through which people are accessing music. >> most people feel will listen to whenever, wherever. if it means i can listen to more beatles more often any time during my day, i'm not restricted. that is a good thing. >> streaming started at 12:01 this morning. a pregnant mother falling

down the stairs. >> the quick thinking by her 3-year-old daughter that has her being awarded and hail adhero. ==sam/ots== it may be

christmas eve - but some of the presidential candidates are getting in some decision 2016 it may be christmas eve. you know, good will, happy holidays, but some of the presidential candidates are getting in some parting words before taking a short break from the campaign trail. "today in the bay" eduard lawrence has more on the race for the white house becoming one

of the most outranls geous in rt history. >> reporter: the candidates for president may finally be taking a break from the rhetoric for the holidays. >> we celebrate christmas eve. we have 60 people from our family coming over tomorrow. we have some work to do to set all that up. >> reporter: still senator ted cruz took parting shots releasing this editorial cartoon via twitter. it shows hillary clinton walking with what cruz describes as her lap dogs. "washington post" and "new york times." this in response to an, the cartoon was pulled. >> leave the kids alone. leave my kids alone, leave marco's kids alone and hillary's kids and grandkids alone. this is the latest in a crazy week of political attacks and responses. analysts say donald trump has thrown the traditional playbook

out the window. >> donald trump is about shaking the system to its roots and really sort of upending the way we elect the president. >> reporter: as he does that, the poll numbers continues to rise. edward lawrence, npcs, washington. it is 5:57 right now. a 3-year-old girl is being hailed a hero this morning for saving the life of her pregnant mom. >> hello. >> mommy fell down the stairs. >> she has baby. >> you can hear little emma from eland tell them her mommy fell the stairs. she was seven months pregnant that time. emma stayed calm and remained on the phone until paramedics arrived. this all happened last month. yesterday emma was recognized and given a certificate by those same first responders who helped rescue her mother. >> a 3-year-old who knows how to use a cell phone and use it well.

impressive. >> a common sight these days. christmas came early for people in the central valley. a nice surprise from sheriff deputies. >> instead of handing out fines for traffic violations, deputies gave out cash as a means to spread christmas cheer. with the help of anonymous donation of $5,000. deputies knocked on doors all to hand out money. >> just a random act of kindness. for the holiday season. yes, for you. >> are you kidding? >> i'm serious. >> we would like to give you $100. hopefully this helps make your holidays. >> yes, it will. thank you. >> thank you. >> you'recome. >> the sheriffs say it's an opportunity to let the community see them in a different light just in time for the holidays and they hope to continue and expand this program next year. right now, at 6:00, are you dreaming of a white christmas? where we could see the possibility of some snow right here in the bay area. plus, a final farewell. the reason san francisco's well

known lucky penny. does it have to close its doors today for good? and this is bob redell. even though the last minute just hours away from christmas. you can still help kids in needs with a christmas gift. we'll tell you how. "today in the bay" starts now. and at 5:59. good morning to you, thanks so much for joining us. i'm kira klapper. >> i'm sam brock a wet and cold start to this christmas eve. let's check the microclimate forecast with meteorologist kari hall. >> if you're going out for last-minute shopping you'll see rain coming down at times and temperatures that will only make it to the low 50s. a chilly christmas eve and also pretty soggy, too. this storm system is rolling in and it may create some heavy downpours at times and a potential for a few thunderstorms. a closer look at that rain is moving out of san francisco towards oakland and san ramon.

some sloppy conditions for the morning commuters, too. not as many people out on the roads, but as we go through the day, many people getting out to those shopping centers. it will only be 53 degrees in the north bay, san francisco, as well as the peninsula. i'll detail what to expect heading into the weekend. and christmas day, too. that's coming up in just a few minutes. >> kari, thank you. happening later today, a fairfield babysitter due in court. she stands accused of killing a toddler. the little boy's name is thor thompson. he died last week at the uc medical center after being found unresponsi unresponsive. she violently shook the boy can then dropped him. she was babysitting him at a home on travis air force base in fairfield. yesterday she gave us her side of the story in a jailhouse interview. she says she didn't do. >> did the baby fall on the floor under your care? as far as you know, the baby never fell?