of epic proportions on the east coast and impact it could have at bay area airports. and from an intense snow storm on the east coast to a rain storm here locally. the wet and windy conditions we're facing this morning. "today in the bay" starts right now. and on this friday, good morning, thank you for joining us. i'm sam brock. >> i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia-cannon. let's take a live look outside. we want to start with our microclimate forecast for you this morning. on the left-hand side san jose getting some sprinkles right now and san francisco getting more rain. sweeping wind also flowing through the area and both cities expected to see more raindrops this morning. there is more rain where this is coming from. take a look at the radar. we'll show you what's coming your way. that could mess up your friday plans, maybe your saturday plans, too. >> although we hope it doesn't extend that far. team coverage here to get you out the door this morning. let's start right now with

meteorologist kari hall with a timeline on this latest storm. kari? >> rain off and on throughout the day along with gusty winds and also concerned about coastal flooding with the king tides in effect. this morning and then again tomorrow morning. and this system moving in initially bringing in some scattered light rain and some heavier downpours later on this afternoon into the evening hours, but as you can see, it's just enough to make things wet and you have to carry the umbrella throughout the morning with damp roads and light showers off and on. as we go into the day, there will be some peeks of sunshine, as well, with highs reaching into the upper 50s to lower 6 os. i'll detail all of that and what to expect as we head into the weekend that's coming up with the microclimate forecast. let's check in with mike to see how the roads are moving. >> the conditions in many spots should be moving than you might think. open roadways. this is the approach to the richmond to san rafael bridge that is westbound 580. not really well traveled right now. you do see the folks getting off of the bridge and the water on

the lens. let's show you another better populated camera over here. the bay bridge toll plaza where we see the water kicking up, as well. another shot we have on the foster city side of the approach over to the peninsula. the bay bridge, as well as the san mateo bridge had wind advisories this morning but this camera is not shaking. back to you. >> well, as kari and mike just mentioned, this latest system is bringing with it, rain, wet roads and big waves, as well. with el nino's return comes the king tides, too. "today in the bay" stephanie chuang is live in san francisco and i know it's easier for you to see you're out there in person and it's so dark. what are you noticing so far? >> right now, by the way, the rain, i don't even know if a drizzle is right. it's coming down almost like a mist. but the concern here is later on this morning the king tides. we're here at pier 14 at the embarcadero. the water will rise several feet above what you see now. sometimes it spills over to the sidewalk and that's sort of what people will see if they're out

and about here in downtown san francisco. rain is the story this morning as it is expected to hit through the morning commute in the bay area. a warning for commuters is with the land already saturated from previous storms, we could see landslides or debris flows. now, here's footage of how highways in places like the pacifica coastline can get during storms and also a high surfed as is edaddvisory along coupled with king tides. that could mean water washing up in places that are usually descridry. never turn your back on the water, especially true on days like today. here is what can happen. video from last weekend. no king tide, but the storm caused powerful waves and people love to get as close to the water as they can. and in a second, the water can a hit you, even overtake you, be mindful of where that is today. king tides expected to hit around 9:46 this morning at 6.46

feet. it only hits a little bit before it starts to go down. today is the last official set of king tides this winter season. live here in san francisco, stephanie chuang, "today in the bay." >> when the high tides come on a week day, but with the weekend and folks are out looking around, it is particularly frightening to see people out there. thank you very much, steph, stay dry oout there. with el nino looming, once again, many shelters are setting up for additional guests. the city will open up more than 250 additional beds in shelters for the homeless this weekend. it will also activate an emergency pop-up shelter in golden gate park which can hold up to 100 homeless men and women, but no pets or children will be allowed. as the weather moves in, you can always track the conditions on your phone through your neighborhood. download our free nbc bay area weather app to access forecasts and, of course, that all-important live doppler radar. sam?

kris, as we brace for more rain on the other side of the country, some 80 million people on the east coast gearing for a massive winter storm. right now airlines are scrambling to cancel flights. thousands of them. ahead of this record breaking nor'easter storm. a live look at sfo this morning which is seeing its own cancellations. so far there have been 37. 25 departures, 12 arrivals. american airlines canceled all flights for today in and out of charlotte douglas international airport and many other airlines are doing the same. the total at sfo right now is 37. but that will likely fluctuate. we'll bring you updates. so far six states are under a state of emergency. some places are preparing for at least two feet of snow, or maybe a little more. jay gray is tracking the very latest for us as the storm rolls through and more coming up in our next half hour. 5:05 and only on nbc bay area a trip to the restroom turned into a nightmare and landed an alleged high-tech

peeping tom in jail. a woman is pushing for tougher charges against the peninsula man accused of hiding a cell phone to record people in a trash can. bob redell joining us live right now in redwood city with details on the discovery and what do we know about the suspect other than the fact that he worked there? >> sam, we know he's a 34-year-old man named marcus block who used to be a long-time employee of the milagros restaurant behind he me here in redwood city before he was fired and arrested for allegedly video recording people while they used the unisex restroom inside the restaurant. this woman who does not want to reveal her name discovered what was going on in mid-december. she was celebrating her birthday at milagros. when she went to the bathroom she noticed something odd about a nearby trash can. >> while i was in there i realized that i found a hole in the trash can and i saw a lens. it was just right there.

there was a hole, the lepns andi put my hand in the trash can and out came an iphone that was recording. >> the woman stopped the recording flipped through the videos on the iphone and she saw herself and other patrons using the restroom. police determined that the phone belongs to the suspect marcus block. he now facing a misdemeanor peeping tom charge and the woman and her attorney are pressing forfullyany charge. their argument is if he captured any children using the restroom, obviously, that would upglarade the charge. when asked for comment the general manager would only tell us that block was fired on the spot. reporting live here in redwood city, bob redell, "today in the bay." let's check in with kari hall. sometimes your radar is at odds with what mike wants to deliver, which is friday light. >> the rain is light, how about that. we are seeing wet conditions this morning.

sunrise happens at 7:21 and there will be some kinds of rain later today, mostly cloudy skies and then the showers linger into tonight. sunset at 5:21. the days slowly get longer. as we look at this storm system, still a lot of clouds off shore and see the moisture streaming in and fairly light, spotty, scattered and we will see that being just enough to make conditions wet as you head out this morning. into the day, more of the showers off and on. we see the shades of green that shows light to moderate rain and then the yellows show a more intense rain. we don't see much of that throughout the darx but with this lasting for several hours, that will add to those rainfall totals that we will see between now and early tomorrow morning before this system wraps up. so, more on that coming up in a few minutes, but let's see how the road conditions are with mike. >> yeah, those conditions are at odds with the conditions people want to see and expect for this friday morning. we do have a light volume of traffic. it is friday light, but you want

to slow it down a bit because there is not a lot of traffic here in the north bay, you see the slick conditions. water can be a visibility for your windshield wipers there, as well as the tractions. increased breaking distance. look at the map. we don't have anything to worry about, folks. just take your time getting through san rafael and upper east shore freeway we have a crash. approaching highway 4 and just reported there. sounds like everything is out of lanes, but, again, slick conditions and use caution as you see flashing lights through an area, as well. give crews plenty of space. crash south 101 has cleared around broadway and no slowing and look towards palo alto and wind advisories for the san mateo and bay bridges. >> thank you very much, mike. coming up, throwing sharp blows at each other. the campaign trail heating up as the iowa caucus nears. one top candidate is getting a little nervous with dropping poll numbers this morning. a sacramento lawmaker tries to accomplish what washington

can't. we'll take a look in "business and." a deadly siege overnight that claims more than 20 lives. the terror group now taking responsibility for the violence. new this morning... ==topvo== a

deadly seige at a beachfront restaurant in somalia is over. a beach front restaurant in somalia is now over. started when islamic extremists stormed a restaurant in the capital shooting at people outside the restaurant, as well. more than 20 people were killed. early today, somali forces

retook control of the restaurant. it's not clear how many attackers are among the dead. the al shabab terror group has claimed responsibility. the claws keep coming out between the presidential candidates in both parties as we head into the final stretch before the iowa caucuses. "today in the bay" edwardance joining us live from washington, d.c., with the very latest this morning and we'll see how voters respond these tactics, edward. >> exactly. good morning, sam. within the last two hours, donald trump ran his very first attack ad against senator ted cruz. trump telling a las vegas audience that he'll take a win no matter big or small. >> i'm a closer. >> reporter: donald trump fired up the in las vegas and he hit his main points and turned his sights on senator ted cruz's latest attack. >> his new line of attack is that i've become establishment give me a break.

>> reporter: trump hit cruz back saying he's nervous his poll numbers are dropping. a new cnn orc shows trump gaining momentum in iowa as crews tried to narrow the gap in new hampshire. >> each day he's engaging in more and more personal attacks. >> reporter: former president bill clinton also campaign in las vegas for his wife taking a slight jab at trump's call to ban muslims from entering the country. >> we have to do it together. we need inclusive social power. to get there we need inclusive politics. >> reporter: hillary clinton urged voters to caucus for her next month. meanwhile her democratic rival told a new hampshire crowd we had enough establishment politics and countered clinton's charge that he's uneliectable. >> just might not be the case. >> now, just ten days ago until the iowa caucus and the frontrunners would like to have a strong showing in order to

have momentum going into the new hampshire primaries. in washington, edward lawrence reporting live, back to you. >> the window before those elections very quickly closing. back to you. state politics where a sacramento lawmakers. >> he wants to force apple and other cell phone users to unlock user' secrets. >> with a warrant. this is as you know, sam, a huge battle between government and high tech. should there be some way for apple or other companies to read your texts and other private information if police ask? right now they can't. california assemblyman jim cooper wants to change that with this law that he introduced this week that would force high-tech companies who want cell phones in california to allow a so-called back door. cooper who represents the district south of sacramento introduced ab 1681. he tells reporters police can search house, they can search your bank account, why can't they search your phone? let's check your news before the

bell. landon dowdy looking at a rally at cnbc world headquarters. good morning. >> hey, that's right, looking good far. wall street is looking to end the week with two straight positive days. futures are higher this morning. stocks rebounding on thursday, although closing off the highs of the session due to a big bounce in oil prices, thanks to cold weather in the u.s. the markets also boosted by europe on speculation officials there. manhouse moore existing home sales. the dow rising 118 points and the nasdaq up a fraction to 4472. scott, back over to you. >> landon, have a great weekend. i was talking with one of the most important venture capit capitalists in silicon valley about this strange stock market. he doesn't care about any of it. he doesn't care about valuations and he doesn't care what china does and he thinks low oil prices should help the market and not hurt them. he will be my guest this sunday

on "press here" after "meet the press" along with reporters from "new york times" and npr. i know him as an investor and surfers and beach lovers know him as the guy who owns martin's beach and won't let them in. he's in court fighting over property rights in california law. i asked him about that. >> it's not a topic i want to talk about. very clearly, it's a dispute around property rights and most of the press hasn't gotten the basic facts right. >> the treaty. >> no. it just dates back to the coastal act in california and -- >> press guy getting it wrong? take it as far as it needs to go? we take the case as far as it needs to go? >> i won't comment on what i will or won't do. >> what i mean by that, this thing going to the supreme court. we think it is. the question of treaties with other countries versus state law.

we'll continue to watch this. interesting battle. >> this is something that always frustrates me, not just with him, but other people. they say you don't understand and everybody's got it wrong, but i'm not going to clarify it. >> watch me get it wrong right in front of him. >> thank you very much, scott. we now to our weather and traffic forecast here. it's kind of a royal forecast today. >> oh. >> because we have the king tides. >> oh. >> i don't know. >> and the queen of weather. >> people who experience consideral royal because it will -- i think so. let's take a live look outside right now. look at san jose. we've seen some waves and light rain moving through. but not too wet just yet. we'll start to see theshowers moving in. as we look at that king forecast. yes roadway right along the immediate coastline and you may experience some flooding today.

as tides come up we will have high tide right at about 9:46 this morning and the tide's coming up to 6.5 feet and also tomorrow morning at 10:30. we have a coastal flood advisory in effect. the wind speeds coming in from the southeast at about 15 to 20 miles an hour. and we will have those swells at about 12 to 16 feet. here's a look at the wind forecast. we can tell by the arrows here, the direction of the wind. these numbers are the wind speeds in miles per hour and our winds coming in from the south at about 30 miles an hour throughout most of the day. and then we start to see those winds starting to calm down later on tomorrow. but in the meantime, it will be a breezy day as the system continues to move in. and some scattered light showers all throughout the morning and also early afternoon. so, today's rainfall with this storm system and then we do take a break for a while as high pressure moves in. we will see the scattered showers today. you just need the umbrella, but there will be some breaks into the afternoon. and then there may be some

heavier downpours later on tonight. that may briefly cause some problems and then as you plan the outdoor activities this weekend, it is looking better by tomorrow afternoon. we'll talk more about later. let's check win mike. >> live look towards oakland and the coliseum camera we have. the glow from the lights. water is kicking up and slick roadways. not a major concern be careful, especially careful. look at your map. we also have the warriors game tonight. splashing there from the low water kicking off the roadway upper east shore freeway. the crash at will oo has cleared out of the roadway and no slowing off the carquinez bridge all the way down to the bay bridge and cash payers waiting a few seconds over there. the rest of your bay shows those green speed indicators basically at the limit all throughout the peninsula and the south bay. we'll give you a live look at san jose and our cameras shows a good, steady stream northbound and not a factor just yet. back to you. >> thank you, mike. coming up, an unfair fight.

bar owners say they have been shaken down for thousands of dollars in a moneymaking scheme involving pay per view boxing. the reason small businesses say they are being punished in court. now to an investigative unit

exclusive: ==kris/2shot== an unfair fight: th now to an investigative unit exclusive and what small business owners say is an unfair

fight. owners describe legal action taken against them by a south bay company known as a heavyweight in the boxing world. >> now, investigative reporter liz wagoner takes us inside of this controversy. >> good morning. have you ever seen ads for pay per view boxing matches. you can watch the fights on your tv at home but businesses wanting to broadcast these events in their bars or restaurants have to pay special commercial license fees. businesses that don't pay up are violating the law. we found a campbell-based company called j&j sports productions have sued for cable piracy. the company often seeks damages of more than $100,000. that's exponentially more than the cost of a commercial license. the lawsuits are over the top & hurting small, family-run businesses that can't afford to defend them selve in court. the owners of a north bay bar called the 8 ball tavern are taking this a step further. they say they're the targets of a fraudulent moneymaking scheme.

j&j sued them for $170,000 for airing a fight they say they never showed. the bar owners believe it's an attempt to extort money out of them. something j deand j deniedenies. see our full investigation online, go to nbcbayarea.com and click on the investigations tab. with the investigative unit, i'm liz wagoner. give us a call or send us an e-mail at theunit@nbcbayarea.com. a storm system moving through the bay area right now as we look live at the golden gate bridge. one of the spots getting soaked right now. not just rainy but also windy and it could affect your morning commute. now, this isn't that bad, right? compared to what's going on else where in the country from sweeping rain to a blizzard of epic proportions on the east coast. we're talking about feet of snow here. multiple feet. the millions now under a state of emergency as a massive winter

storm makes its way through.

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well, good morning. thanks for joining us, i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia-cann garcia-cannon. >> i'm sam brock. steady rain to start off your friday morning. a wet, windy commute, as well. a storm barreling through the bay area and with it comes sweeping winds. a live look right now at golden gate bridge and san jose this morning. both area expected to see

raindrops today and more wet weather on the rain. tracking all the rain that could mes mess up your friday plans. >> kari hall monitoring the radar for us this morning. good morning, kari. >> good morning. the rain not that intense. we've seen light showers moving through, but it has been breezy and that wind swept rain may make visibility a little bit lower in some spots. but we will see this off and on all throughout the day. the rain won't be very heavy but we will see this lasting for several hours and that will cause some of that rain to add in some of the totals by the end of the day into the start of tomorrow. the rain timeline shows that we will, once again, have a wet morning commute. so, let's check in now with mike to see how the traffic is moving. >> we have a crash just reported and trying to get more details but north 880 right around 7th street just after 980 and an issue in lanes and just happened a short time ago and seems like one of the cars might have lost traction. that's what we're warning the green around the bay. slicker roads and the wind

advisories for bay bridge and san mateo bridge. look out there for live looks and have richmond san rafael approach and wipers going and you're going to need to use the wipers. traffic moving smoothly across that westbound flat section. y . >> a lot of people will have to wipe off those windshields. with the sweeping wind and rain you were just talking about comes danger on our coastline. talking about massive waves all week and this morning they're expected to get even larger. "today in the bay" stephanie chuang. what do you see down by the rena, stephanie. >> we're along the embarcadero and the umbrella is back because the rained up a little bit more, but the story, as you mentioned, the waves this morning with the coastal flooding advisory, actually, that goes until 9:00 tonight. but here at pier 14 you see the water splashing around. when king tides hit it should be up a couple to a few feet higher

and could splash on to the sidewalks here. maybe a foot above average. rain is the story as it is expected to hit throughout the morning commute. a warning for drivers and storms the last few days and about tuesday was the last one that was with the land already saturated and see areas or debris flow. also a high surfed as isry through the coast at 9:00 tonight and the pacifica pier is where some of the most powerful waves are where people are and walking and taking pictures. even storms during storms the waves are pretty strong, like those captured during tuesday's storms. coupled with kings tide day means water washing up in places that are usually dry. be careful or here is what could happen. we have video. cell phone video from a few days ago. no king tides but the storm caused tides and the water can hit you and overtake you and depending on where you are and how close you are. now, this is the last official king tide of this winter season.

and people are taking advantage. so, be careful. there's a serious side of this. but people are taking advantage. there is going to be a class here tomorrow morning here at pier 14 where people are saying, look, king tide, kind of pretty and come join us for $2 a person. people having fun with it, as well. >> i'm not much of an artist. i'll snap a picture, instead. a developing story as the rain moves in for us on the west coast, a blizzard of epic proportions is slamming part of the east coast right now. a live look at brinkley, arkansas, right now. already seeing the snow starting to move in. and right now they are among the millions of people preparing for up to two feet of snow. maybe more. "today in the bay" jay gray is live in roanoke, virginia, where many are preparing for the worst this morning. part of the east coast is about to get slammed. >> yeah, no, sam, kris, yourx

you're absolutely right. the snow is starting to build. this snow is going to continue for 24 to 36 hours according to the forecast here. and you use the words epic, historic, that's what forecasters are calling this storm. this is the leading edge of the system that's going to move across the east coast and really affect 80 million to 90 million people before this is said and done. here in virginia, we've seen a state of emergency since yesterday. 500 national guard troops on the ground. more at the ready, if necessary. we know that every state police officer in virginia has been told to be on and ready to help with this storm. power crews are scattered across the state and staged, as well. not only the state, but the region, i should say. we expect with this storm, according to the national weather service, blizzard and whiteout conditions. we expect high and, their word here, brutal winds. up to 50 miles an hour.

you might hear the plow that's running behind me here. we've seen that throughout the day. 500 vehicles out on the roadways to try and clean things up as best they can. but the best idea right now, stay in, if you don't have to get out in this. that's what officials are saying. it is going to be a mess for the next couple of days. power could be out even longer. again, this is the leading edge of this entire system that is basically going to swallow the east coast for the weekend here. sam, kris, waback to you. >> stay warm out there. some analysts say legitimately historic, not just historic. vallejo and a fireball that erupted as several cars went up in flames night. all of it happened at a tow yard on broadway avenue where up to ten cars burned before firefighters could get that fire under control. firefighters say there was a person the tow yard covered in oil, but not hurt. no word on the cause yet this

morning. it's 5:34 on your friday morning. only on nbc bay area, an alleged high tech people tom accused of secretly recording people in a restaurant restroom. now a woman pushing for tougher charges against him after discovering his device. bob redell in redwood city with how it all unfolded. >> good morning to you, sam. a woman celebrating her birthday here at the milagros at the restaurant behind me noticed something odd about the trash can in the unisex restroom. this was in mid-december. there was a hole in the can. when she peered through it, she could see the lens of an iphone camera was recording video. this woman who doesn't want her name vealed stopped the recording, checked the videos on the phone to see that it captured her and other patrons using the restroom. police determined that the phone belonged to 34-year-old marcus block, long-time employee of

malagros who has since been arrested and faces a misdemeanor peeping tom charge. the woman is hoping the district attorney will up the charge to something more severe. >> he's in possession of child pornography. then that's a felony. and that's something that can lead to being placed on a sexual offender's list. and this person should be on that list. >> we don't know what he could have done or what he could have done with the videos. if they're out on the web right now. if i'm being exposed to the world. i don't know that. >> when asked for a comment, the general manager of the milagros restaurant would only tell us that marcus block, that employee, was fired on the spot. reporting live here in redwood city, bob redell, "today in the bay." also new this morning, one man has died and another person in the hospital after a shooting in hayward. this is cell phone video of the scene sent to us by a viewer. the shooting happened about

10:00 last night on west a street, right near interstate 880. police say one of the victims died at the scene a gunshot wound. the second victim, 19 years old, is in critical condition but is expected to live. no word right now on arrests or a suspect description. 5:37 right now. in san francisco's muni metro subway is making its comeback just in time to host the big crowds for super bowl l. since july, muni shut down subway service at 9:30 every night for safety and improvement. we're inching closer to the super bowl as kris just mentioned. preparations getting under way in san francisco, which means traffic is about to become a nightmare. here's a closer look at what's going to close down in the city. sections of the embarcadero, justin herman plaza and market street all shutting down starting this weekend. all of it is part of super bowl

city. there's also a section farther south around the mosconi center that will be affected. crews will close howard between third and fourth for the nfl zone. but that closure will not start until tuesday. the impact of the big games are already being seen in san francisco this morning. muni posted super bowl alert signs. riders are now trying to figure out how to get around during three weeks of road closures and detours. people who work near justin herman plaza say it's not going to be business as usual and bicyclists are not happy about being detoured on to busy battery street. >> battery street is far from ideal to bike at any hour of the day. with people commuting to and from their jobs, it's going to be aerous situation. >> our staff coming in and getting out and more importantly our vendors. our supply deliverers. >> muni will have a new of how things flow. 25 cameras are now up on market street from embarcadero to castro just in time for the big game. but muni says those cameras are

not super bowl related. our super bowl coverage of super bowl 50 continues leading right up to kickoff. game day now only 16 days away at levi stadium in santa clara. well, it is too soon to call the forecast for the super bowl, but not too soon to call the forecast for those two big games. well, watching the two big games this weekend, kari. >> this is going to be nice and wet today, but then tomorrow it alls out. we do need the showers that will be rolling on through and we'll get it out of here in time for your weekend outdoor activities. as we see scattered showers this morning, making the cumulate wet and the streets may be a little bit more slick, but we haven't seen any really heavy rain to cause that watter to be standing on the road. we do have a coastal floodvisory that a concern with the winds coming in from the southeast. up to about 20 to 30 miles an hour. the swells will be at 12 to 16 feet. rip currents will be possible. as we go through the rest of the day, here's how the are dar may

look by 10:00. scattered light rain in and out of the bay area. heavier downpours and the possibility of thunderstorms and later on tonight and then this will slowly taper off as we head into early tomorrow morning. we'll talk more about that and a look ahead to the weekend. that's coming up and let's see what's happening on the roads with mike. >> lighter volume of traffic and i know that you're going to be careful, but not everybody is, s lower the speeds and increase that stopping distance. look over towards where there is policy for issues. like over here crash northbound 880 at 7th. a container truck on the right shoelder and give it extra space and move over to your left as you pass by 7th street and two other vehicles on the shoulder, but no major injuries. here the bay bridge, right as you get out of san francisco, still twos getting into treasure island the lower deck reports minor flooding and sounds like a drainage issue and more details from chp. the slowing builds for that

westbound incline and no major issues there. again, looking at slippery conditions and watch off ramps, guys. back to you. coming up next, a progressive idea or a plan that unfairly punishes certain drivers? the mileage monitoring program that grabbing people's attention in california. looks like it will actually be a good day on wall street, in fact, great day. why? we'll take a look coming up in "business and tech." 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. mechanical failure is being

ruled out in we now know that mechanical failure is not the reason the greyhound bus crashed earlier this week killing two women. now the investigation is turning to where the passengers were sitting. combing through the wreckage of that bus to figure out what happened. investigators are now looking into whether driver fatigue or the weather was a role. it was pouring at that time. the bus driver admits he was tired at the time of the crash. two people were killed, eight others were hurt when the bus flipped over on highway 101 in south san jose on tuesday. grounded for good and also criminally charged. a former alaska airlines captain is accused of operating a plane while drunk. david haan srxz was arrested in federal court earlier this week. the 60-year-old flew from portland, oregon o, to orange county while inebriated. he is no longer a pilot. he is free on bail and will be back in court next month.

well, starting this week people in the east bay can now call 911. they can also text 911. our richmond police are nowing the lead in northern california to update the way that people can reach out for help. starting this week, if you are in richmond, el cerito or san pablo, you can text 911 dispatchers, which can be life saving when people are in situation where they'ring to hide from someone or simply cannot talk. the program is already in use in southern california. well, prop 30 windfall aside, california now looking at other new ways to raise revenues and those who drive the most could be the ones digging the deepest into their pockets. the's transportation department is soon going to be launching a pilot program to replace the gas state tax with mileage fees. a small device would monitor how much you drive and that idea rattles some privacy advocates

but the problem is california's 36 cent per gallon tax is no longer generating enough cash, according to state lawmakers. electric car users don't pay anything at all. >> the gas tax, which is our major source of funding is not keeping pace with our transportation need. so, we have to look at other mechanisms for raising the money. >> as part of the new program, they're looking for 5,000 volunteers to test the idea starting this summer. that should be enough to give lawmakers the sense of whether the plan could actually work. well, here's something we haven't said in a while, looks like a good day on wall street. >> that is a rare saying, indeed. stocks were up slightly thursday, scott. but looks rip, roaring, i think that's your adjective today. >> a big rally, sam. you remember yesterday we were talking about the sawtooth pattern on those graphs that i showed you. markets set to move much higher on three things. one, europe signals it may ease monetary policy. two people are buying stocks on

the lows. three, prices are bouncing higher. oil has been a nightmare lately for corporations. train companies are now laying off because they're hauling less ooil. canadian pacific just let 1,000 people go a few hour s ago. first time claims employment the first time people showing up to the office this week jumped this week although they are still near historic lows. companies that create self-driving car have to turn their accident reports into the state. one showed up i thought you would be interested in. cruise automation. it puts it on various cars. here it is on an audi, but it was actually a nissan that had the wreck. the accident report says the car was driving at 7th and bryant in san francisco when it started to drift a little bit to the left and then the computer corrected it back to the right and the driver took control.

the accident report says after taking manual control, the operator did not change the path of the vehicle and collided with an unoccupied toyota prius. the reason i bring this is up is we are still something like 20-o0 when it comes to accident using robot cars. it has always been a driver and not the computer that actually gets into the accident, whether it's an outside driver or the driver inside the car takes control. >> sure, take the robot's side. >> yeah, basically. they've got an unbeaten record. >> they're doing pretty well. thank you very much. >> all right, thank you. ing taste likely to slow the growth of california's wine compscomp sumption. the latest wine industry report is out. it finds people will likely buy less wine and drink less wine in the coming year. that would end a 20-year trend. i know, who is putting together these reports? the reason analysts say is because winemakers are getting ow of the low-budget wine business. there's no real bang for the

buck in two buck chuck, although now i think it's three buck chuck. as a result, less wine proed and purchased. sales of mid-range and high-end wines are still expected to grow. and bay area's wine industry will likely not suffer. high end around here. >> i wouldn't know. i drink ten buck chuck. >> i wish i had a picture. >> four bottles of chuck. >> it wasn't the dollar store, it was the $2 store. things are getting up everywhere. >>inflation. i tell you. we're watching the rain coming in. that has been actually pretty steady. we'll see that off and on throughout the day. a light, steady rain and a gusty wind to go along with that. as we take a live look at san jose and haven't seen mun of that rain in the south bay yet. looking outside and thinking, most streets still dry. as you drive around this morning, you will see that the rain is very hit or miss. as we take a look at the golden gate, some of the rain coming

down there and we will have this off and on throughout the day and at times just mostly cloudy skies and mild temperatures. showers linger into tonight and we may also have some heavy downpours. with the gusty winds and high tide, we have king tides along the coast. where some of those low-lying roads may be prone to flooding. so, we're watching out for that. the bays and beaches and high tide will be at about 6.5 feet. and again tomorrow morning at about 10:30. with the waves coming up, a coastal wave advisory in effect with winds rushing in from the south at 30 miles per hour. winds may pick up in spots like half moon bay and inland we're looking at wind speeds at about 2030 miles per hour. that may still be enough bring down tree limbs and as we go into tonight and the into the day tomorrow winds slowly relax and we're seeing the rain here. mainly, spotty light showers. as we go into the rest of the day, rainfall totals going up. so far 0.1 for most of the bay.

and sea ranch 0.3, as well. rain moving in with this area of low pressure and then as we go into tonight, heavier downpours as we see a little bit more energy moving into the bay area. and at times, once again, there will be some breaks. but then by tomorrow morning, we slowly start to see this rain tapering off and setting the stage for a dry forecast into next week. let's check in now with mike to see how the roads are moving. >> kari, looking over here towards san rafael. see the roads moving well and the conditions on the roads. hit or miss rainy spots. here at one of your heavier spots as far as the moisture on the roadway, the water on the roadway kicking up and leaving some puddles. san rafael, light traffic. we look at your map and show another live camera. richmond san rafael bridge from the east bay and, again, a little more heavily traveled than we saw a half hour ago. water falling on the lens. right there under the lights and the water falling right there.

and we're over here towards the bay bridge toll plaza where the metering lights are on and a crash getting on to the sky way. eastbound 80 at 7th. a couple lanes are blocked and the chp says we have a tow truck there, should be just another few minutes. back to you guys. well, about that morning dip for one florida keys homeowner. it had to be put on hold because an eight-foot crocodile took over the pool. the pool is just a hop, skip and a jump to the ocean. that's a good thing. unless you're crocodiles. they're not a crocodile. the skinny dipper did manage just about the time the fish and wildlife officers arrived. by the way, if you're wondering, salt water is not what the crocodile enjoys. >> that will raise your scales, for sure. coming up next, throwing sharp blows at each other. the campaign trail heating up as the iowa caucuses get closer and closer and one candidate growing

nervous with dropping poll numbers this morning. we'll tell you who. stay on top of incoming storms by setting the home screen on your smartphone to weather on the nbc bay area app. click on the nbc bay area icon on the top left corner of your screen and click on the button that says set your start screen. click weather and click done. that will give you exactly what you need to know and when you need to know it.

decision 2016. and the donald is taking new heat from conservatives. this time the national review is blasting gop support for donald trump. but, trump powers on, seemingly, unscathed. ten days out from the iowa caucuses and trump is already turning his attention to another upcoming battleground, nevada, which holds its caucuses in late february. trump appeared in las vegas last night as did bill clinton, who was stumping for hillary clinton while she is hunkered down in iowa trying to woo voters there who might be eyeing bernie sanders. ted cruz, meanwhile, is on the offensive in new hampshire with the trump as his primary focus. >> he's getting more and more. each day, he's engaging in more and more personal attacks. >> we have to do it together. we need inclusive social policy.

to get there, we need inclusive politics. >> now one new poll shows trump gaining momentum in iowa, although most polls until now predicted tight race in iowa between trump and cruz. now to an investigative unit exclusive. an unfair fight or. that's how small business owners describe legal action taken against them by a south bay company known as a heavyweight in the boxing world. >> investigative reporter liz wagoner takes us inside that controversy. >> good morning. have you ever seen ads for pay view boxing matches? you can watch the fights on your tv at home, but businesses wanning to broadcast these events in their bars or restaurants have to pay special commercial license fees. businesses that don't pay up are violating the law. we found a campbell-based company called j&j sports productions have sued thousands of businesses across the country for cable piracy. the company often seeks damages

of more than 100,000, that's exponentially more than the cost of a commercial license. critics say the lawsuits are over the top and they're hurting small, family-run businesses that can't afford to defend themselves in court. the owners of a north bar called the 8 ball tavern are taking this a step further. they say they're the targets of a fraudulent moneymaking scheme. j&j sued them for 170 for airing a fight they say they never showed. the bar owners believe it's an attempt to extort money out of them. something j&j denies. you can see our full investigation online right now. just go to nbcbayarea.com. >> liz, thank you. if you have a tip for our investigative unit, give us a call at 1-888-996-tips or send us an e-mail to theunit@nbcbayarea.com. one less worry for bill cosby after a federal judge

dismissed a defamation lawsuit. renita hill claims cosby smeared her character when she was a liar and extortionist back in 2014. this is after she went public with the actor the drugged and sexually assaulted her among dozens of other women. the judge ruled cosby's defense statement was protected by the first amendment. cosby does face charges related to a 2004 encounter with a temple university employee. right now at 6:00, tracking storms coast to coast. a blizzard of historic proportions about to slam much of the east coast. the impact still going to have here in the bay area. and some whiteout conditions there to slick roadways here. we'll show you how long that rain will stick around and the impact on your friday morning drive. and a creepy crime on the peninsula. the disturbing discovery inside a restaurant bathroom and the employee now facing charges.

"today in the bay" starts right now. and you made it to the end of the week. good friday morning. thank you for joining us, i'm sam brock. >> i'm kris sanchez in for laura garcia-cannon who is off today. after two dry days the rain is back. our live satellite radar shows scattered rain falling over parts of the bay area. not a super soaker, but enough to make the roadways a little slick this morning. >> team coverage on everything from the roads to big waves and king tide. but let's start now with meteorologist kari hall who will talk about how long the rain will stick around. two days on, two off. >> i think that's been the pattern. we are getting ready to see this rain move through and then take a break from the rain for a while. as we go deeper into the forecast. but now we are seeing this storm system moving in and not bringing really intense rain, but it is, once again, just enough to make everything very soggy as you head out this friday morning. and the rain on the radar showing light shades of green as we go into the rest of the day. we're lookit