dropped a gun as he fled. plus, a man who witnessed a fiery crash in solano county that looked horrible. he noticed this when he was driving home. rushes home and helps out managing to pull one of the victims from the wreckage. dramatic new video just into our newsroom this morning. the search is on for two people wanted in connection with a deadly shooting at a bay area pawnshop. the evidence police are looking at as they try to crack the case. "today in the bay" continues right now. good wednesday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm sam brock. all calm this morning. we do have a storm coming our way in a couple days. >> in a couple days, but that's also when a lot of people will be taking to a flight or the roads to meet up with some family for the holiday weekend. now as you head out the door, it's nice and quiet. getting on the road for work. it is 44 degrees in the tri-valley. 41 in the south bay, not as cold in many spots.

we still have upper 30s for parts of the north bay. heading into this afternoon, highs in the low 60s, how about that, for the first day of winter we'll have more coming up in the microclimate forecast. heading over to mike, a possible problem for 880 in oakland. >> a new report there. the rest of the bay, almost all the bay moving very well. the bay bridge toll plaza has your metering lights on. you do have to wait from that portion of oakland towards san francisco. right now north 880 at 29th, i got word from chp of a car in lanes. it may be your fast lane blocked. i don't see sensor slowing. the live camera at the coliseum sometimes shows a backup forming. right now you're okay past high street and toward park which is right near 29th avenue. you have a bigger issue for south bay commuters. >> a story we've been following for an hour. breaking news out of the south bay, san jose police surrounded stevens creek toyota in search of a gunman. >> that manhunt going on for

several hours. we want to get straight to "today in the bay's" kris sanchez live at the scene. what's the latest? >> reporter: sam and laura, we can tell you in the last two minutes we learned from lieutenant paul joseph that the manhunt, the search is over, but the suspect managed to get away. he says it doesn't make sense to search beyond this area. it all started at the to toy stevens creek dealership. the suspect dashed into the warehouse. it looks like the service and parts warehouse behind the showroom, four hours ago, a police canine bee lined it into there. officers said they heard footsteps inside. they thought they had the suspect cornered. now we know he got away. two other suspects are detained, including this man who had to be restrained because he was trying to kick out the windows of the patrol car. neither of the two men in custody is telling investigators why they and the outstanding suspect were in a fight that ended in gunfire around 2:00 this morning. we do know a legislator police officer witnessed that and

called in reenforcements. >> we are now searching that lot and searching the warehouse on the lot with the use of our canines to try to find that third person. the third person dropped a pistol as he was running into the lot. we're trying to figure out what his role is in this event. >> reporter: we mow the outstanding suspect dropped a pistol. police are going on the assumption that he could still be armed. he is at large right now, but the search is over at stevens creek and kindly. no evacuation orders for the neighborhood. do make sure your locks are on your windows and doors just to be on the safe side. because this is over and the last couple patrol cars are leaving, we expect the traffic impact will also be over very soon. we'll update mike inouye on that and he'll continue to track it for you in his next report. in san jose, kris sanchez, "today in the bay." all new this morning, two people are dead after a fiery head-on crash in solano county.

an nbc bay area photographer captured this video. you see both of the cars completely lit up in flames. it happened a little after midnight near fairfield on peabody road, east of interstate 80 right by travis air force base. a man was driving ahead of the crash, going home actually. he noticed it in his viru mirror, turned right back ar row. he was able to pull one driver from the car as both cars burned. taish's bob redell is at the scene. he'll have a live report in 30 minutes. there was a deadly confrontation in vallejo. this morning the search for two suspects continues. police are looking for two people connected to a deadly shooting at a pawnshop yesterday afternoon. a man, along with a dog, was killed. he's not been identified. another man was seriously injured. the shooting happened about 3:00. the suspects considered still on the run. >> the only description we have are two males wearing dark

colored hooded sweatshirts. again, one was armed with a handgun. >> this guy is trying to nak a living running a pawn business and doing something for the community positive. this is a good part of vallejo. >> people say there were a lot of surveillance cameras inside the pawnshop. that's one bit of evidence police will be looking at in hopes of solving this crime. >> happening today, the man accused of causing $100,000 worth of damage at a north bay catholic school is set to appear in court. deputies say andrew faulkner of guerneville smashed doors, shattered windows and damaged several items inside cardinal newman hospital. firefighters arrived at the scene as the vandal attack was still happening on monday night. they found faulkner en side. cardinal newman students still attended classes yesterday. investigators don't believe the suspect had any kind of previous connection to that school. a big rush to buy new guns. sales are speaking across california. this is happening in part

because of new laws going into effect january 1st, 15 stores we called were sold out of popular ar models. next year selling certain guns will be band. it's part of sweeping gun control legislation signed in july spurred by mass shootings like the one in san bernardino. because of a ten-day background check, today is the last day you can buy those specific types of guns. stores say sales have skyrocketed. >> governor brown signed it and we went crazy. it slowed down a little bit. but then it spiked. now i'm getting calls left and right. >> fbi statistics show since the legislation was signed, background checks for people trying to buy a gun are up 21% compared to last year. the state supreme court has put a proposition that speeds up the appeals process for death row inmates on hold. voters approved proposition 66 last month. it requires the state supreme court to rule on death pen

amendment appeals within five years of sentencing. the court temporarily blocked the measure to take time to consider a measure filed by opponents. right now at 6:07, happening later today, san francisco is unveiling a first dch of-its-kind intersection designed to boost safety for cyclists and pedestrians. the first protected intersection goes live today at noon on 9th and division streets. mayor ed lee will be on hand for that. the intersection has innovative design concepts including slower turning speeds and better visibility for drivers, along with more space between cars, bikes and people on foot. it is time to get up and get moofing on this chilly start to this wednesday morning. a live look outside from san rafael. visibility is nice and clear and temperatures also dip down into the 30s. we'll also have this last spare-the-air alert hopefully

for the winter season and no wood burning because of unhealthy air quality today. it will be moderate in the east bay, peninsula and south bay. today's high brings it into the low 60s, 63 degrees for the south bay. mostly sun nye skies, a light wind, and 57 degrees today in san francisco. i'll show you the complete microclimate forecast including an incoming storm in about ten minutes. mike has an update for the south bay and the bay bridge. >> we can pick out the things we have to worry about because everything else is completely clear. the south bay, the freeway not a problem. 101 slight slowing. kris sanchez continues to follow stevens creek boulevard at kylee for the reopening of the roadways. we'll track that. mean mile the bay bridge toll plaza, the metering lights are on. we're tracking that as well. it want to show you what developed from our emeryville camera. looking toward the bay bridge

westbound approaching the treasure island tunnel. i heard about a stalled vehicle just shy of the tunnel. that's what the traffic pattern shows as well. hopefully the bridge crew can take care of it very quickly. they may slow down the metering lights. that will be a build for oakland. coming up, at least 29 people now are killed in a series of explosions at a fireworks market in mexico. the reason the market was busier than usual and what investigators are looking at as they try to figure out what triggered the explosion. >> safety concerns as last-minute holiday shoppers head to malls across the bay area. the popular east bay mall where a woman was robbed at gunpoint. >> taking a look at the markets. we're so close to 20,000 again. we'll take a look at the numbers when "today in the bay" continues.

good wednesday morning. it is 6:12. as you head out, we're looking at the tahoe report for squaw valley and alpine meadows. it will be clear tomorrow. as we head into the day on friday and saturday, we'll have some snow coming in. if you want a white christmas, head over to squaw valley. there will be a lot of snow coming down.

so the better you can get -- the earlier you can get on the roads, the better, we'll have up to 22 inches of san mateo in spots like kingvale. very treacherous travel there and in the bay area as the rain comes in. i'll talk about that in about five minutes. also talking about more delay across the bay bridge. that disabled vehicle just past treasure island towards san francisco. the building travel time now 22 minutes coming across the oakland side. the tri-valley will see slowing for 680. a new crash reported for sunol. this morning people in mexico are waking up to this sobering reality. you've probably already seen this video. it's still awe striking. a massive strain reaction explosion that killed 29 people at a fireworks market yesterday. the stunning video captures the moment that a massive cloud of smoke comes up after thunderous explosions filled the sky.

the explosion happened 20 miles north of mexico's capital. that fireworks market was particularly packed because holiday shoppers were there buying fireworks for traditional mexican holiday. state health officials say in addition to the dead, at least 72 people right now are being treated for serious injuries. investigators are trying to track down what started that first fireball. pleasanton police are asking for help from anyone who may have witnessed an armed robbery yesterday in a parking lot at the popular stoneridge mall. it happened a little bit before noon. police say two men approached a woman near her car and one pulled out a gun. they took off in what could have been an older green honda civic. anyone with information should please contact pleasanton police. 6:14 right now. as 2016 comes to a close, most working americans will leave paid vacation days on the table. that's according to a new report from bankrate.com. 52% of working americans who get paid vacation time say they won't be using all their allotted time this year.

a lot of workers who aren't using their vacation time this year say they'll roll the unused vacation time over into next year. the study found most workers would choose higher pay over more vacation time. here is a great way to get away. a lucky person on read it got a special secret santa, bill gates. get this, gifts included a special edition xbox, dvds, a framed picture of her photo shopped with gates. reddit has had an annual gift exchange since 2009. gates has been involved for the past few years. i heard there was a price limit on it. he kind of exceeded it. >> maybe. that was a big haul. he had on his christmas hat. scott mcgrew, word is you're involved in a secret santa program. >> i'm involved in the same secret santa program on reddit. it's too late to sign up now. anyone can do it. you're assigned a gift recipi t

recipient. my guy is fro hall land, i sent him a sharks jersey and coffee cup. i don't know who my secret santa is. maybe get bill gates as your secret santa next year. it will be@scottmcgrew on twitter. dow hasn't closed lower back-to-back in month. 17 records for the dow since the election. there you see the number, 19,974. the white house has issued a new report this morning underlining its concern that automation is going to replace american workers. you remember that carrier plant where donald trump said he saved jobs. carrier's boss loves that plant will be automated. the white house suggests temporary solutions, education, team people to make robots, invest in robotics and set up ways to transition american workers out of jobs that will be

replaced by computers. speaking of automation, facebook ceo mark zuckerberg posted a few videos showing off his home personal assistant. a computer he made and coded himself, make toast, answer the door, even control the temperature. >> jarvis, can you turn the temperature up? >> jarvis only listens to me. i'll fix that. >> the first voice he tried out was a little aggressive. >> go to the gym, get to the car. >> is that -- >> it's arnold. ha, ha, ha. >> eventually that changed. >> how about some toast? let me fix that for you. >> i think this is eventually going to come, maybe not that jarvis system, but to all of us. i have amazon echo which does a few things. so maybe toast.

>> exactly. nice. a loved one will do it as well maybe. >> it's all about the soothing request. morgan freeman a lot more soothing than the first version. >> but arnold will get you to the gym. >> that's cool. a spare-the-air alert is in effect today. if you're going out maybe for a run, take it easy. here is a live look from our emeryville camera. this is the third spare-the-air day of the winter season. the alert means you can't burn wood indoors or outdoors for 48 hours. health officials issued the alert because they're worried about smoke pollution. >> nothing compared to beijing. we'll show you video here of the thick gray smog over that city. look at that. a red alert is issued for beijing and north china. you can't even see anything through that smog. that's the highest level in the four-tier system.

air pollution is more than ten times above the guidelines established by the world health organization. the red alert is expected to end some time today. >> right now it's 6:19 in the bay area. pretty cold weather recently. >> a little warmup. not frosty and freezing this morning. that's great news as you get this wednesday started. we will have a lot of sunshine helping to warm up the temperatures. right now a live look outside at san jose. it is a great start to the day. 45 degrees at oakland and palo alto. it's 50 in san francisco and still some upper 30s in spots in the north bay as well as morgan hill. there today the high reaching 62 degrees. we're going to make up for it later on. 61 degrees in concord for the high and also 61 in napa. and a nice warm day, the warmest day of the week as we officially welcome in winter. this is what everyone else is dealing with on the first day of winter. still some freezing temperatures, but they're not in

that deep freeze that they had a couple days where some spots are struggling to get above zero. now we have some 20s far they are off towards the east. if you will be traveling, a little snow through minneapolis. that may be affecting chicago travel. the biggest travel problem this weekend will be here in the bay area. there's an area of low pressure rolling from the south causing rain in l.a. that will not affect us. we're turning our attention to a storm system in pacific that will be moving in. by friday we'll start to see the showers moving from north to south. the rain gets here throughout the day on friday, starting in the north bay, once again, gusty winds, a break on saturday. christmas day there will be another round late in the evening and into monday. so a couple of rounds of rain moving in. it looks to stay active even into next week. as far as how much rain we could see, the potential of about a half inch to maybe 1.25 for us. you head towards sacramento,

it's going to be much heavier and also through the sierra. as you travel, the worst of the travel will be from late tomorrow evening into saturday morning. i-5 will be wet and windy from here to l.a. it will be rainy and snow through the sierra. as we head to mike, a crash in the tri-valley? >> that's right. light commute right now all over the bay. i want to take you towards sunol where we hadn't seen any slowing out of pleasanton for the last few minutes. we've seen the speed sensors start to dip significantly just south of brunall. this will show you down for your tri-valley commute. if you're tarking 84, that's just fine off 580 and cutting past the dublin interchange. a smooth flow of traffic and light volume, north 101 at 680. the scene at san jose and sclera, stevens creek toyota, the scene has cleared and it looks like the roadways are fine in that area.

heading toward the bay bridge through oakland or off the eastshore freeway, no major issues. a live shot from emeryville. i think the disabled vehicle has cleared from the san francisco side. we'll check the upper deck. back to you. thank you very much, mike. 6:22. up next, millions of americans have asthma. it turns out what you're eating could impact your symptoms. the foods you'll want to stay away from. important for kids to get some play time, but with what toys. so many options on the market right now. it could be hard to make sure your child stays safe. the information you need to know to avoid giving dangerous gifts to your kids this holiday season. still shopping for toys for your

child-- it's not always easy to be se i don't have to tell you this. krit mass is quickly approaching. if you're still shoption for toys for your child, you have to make sure you're getting safe products. to keep your child safe, you need to pay attention to age guidelines. of course, common news here, if you have younger kids, stay away from toys with small parts like legos or plastic cars. the packaging toys come in can also be dangerous no matter how old your child is. you should be on the lookout for hidden dangers like those dangerous button batteries. if they're swallowed, that could be deadly, as well as long pieces of string and loose parts. >> read the warning labels that are on it. if there's instructions on how to play with the toy, keep those in mind when you're buying the

toy as well. make sure they'll appeal to your child and that they won't hurt a younger sibling. >> since a lot of parents are buying toys online, experts encourage you to read the reviews and check those age guidelinetion. once you figure out what you are going to buy, if you haven't sent your holiday presents at this point, you have time, but just to let you know, the clock is ticking. theation 1.8 billion packages shipped. to deal with the record volume, ups opened 15 new hubs and added 95,000 extra workers. fedex also adding more aircraft to its fleet. coming up, the deadlines to keep in mind about the postal service, kmart, amazon, walmart and other big name stores. people with asthma may want to avoid eating ham, salami or other processed meats. a french study who found people

with asthma who ate the most processed meats were 75% more likely to have increase in symptoms. researchers say nitrates may be linked to airway inflammation. 6:27. coming up next on "today in the bay," major cities across the nation on alert this morning after the suspected terror attack in berlin. the steps police are taking in the u.s. to make sure a similar attack doesn't happen here. plus the san francisco police commission is meeting today to talk about the department's use of force policy just one day after the new police chief said that that's his top priority. the issues the commission is focusing on in an effort to prevent deadly encounters with officers. temperatures are warming up a

bit from earlier this week. taking a live look outside at downtown san jose this morning on your wednesday. 6:30 right now. temperatures warming up a bit from earlier this week. >> that's right. now we're getting ready for another round of rain to move into the bay area. you're going to want to track it because it might impact holiday travel. if you have people coming to visit or maybe you're going somewhere, too. thank you for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> i'm sam brock. we mentioned it's a little warmer today. which is interesting, officially the first day of winter. >> it is. it started at 2:44 this morning. that is when we will have the shortest day of the year today.

what sunlight we do get will warm things up. up to 48 degrees as we get a look for those temperatures in the peninsula in the tri-valley. 44 degrees, 39 in the north bay and 48 now in san francisco as you step out the door. highs today in the low 60s. it is looking better. light wind and mostly sun nye skies. heading over to the tri-valley, let's talk to mike about what's going on there. >> without trying to be judgey, the tri-valley has a crash. by comparison, the rest of the bay, no problem. piece of cake. out of pleasanton towards sunol boulevard, even there the speeds are starting to recover. i think they've claerd that lane blocked by the earlier crash. foothill road, you can see it as one of your alternates. mild slowing. allow maybe another seven minutes off the dublin interchange towards fremont for 680. a smooth drive toward the bay bridge. the metering lights are on. nothing significant out of the maze. back over to you.

>> thank you very much, mike. an update to breaking news we've been following all morning long for about an hour and a half. a manhunt has been called off in san jose after police say an alleged gunman got away. it happened near the stevens creek toyota where authorities had been searching for hours on stevens creek boulevard and kylee. police say the suspect fled, but he dropped a handgun and ammunition. they believe it could be the same weapon that was fired at two other men during some sort of fight that happened about 2:00 this morning. two other suspects reportedly connected to the crime have been arrested. in the meantime, new this morning, two people are dead after a fiery head-on crash in solano county. an nbc bay area photographer came upon that crash just moments afterward and captured the video from the scene. "today in the bay's" bob redell is live at the scene this morning to explain how a witness who also, bob, happened to be passing by at the time saw what was going on in his veer view

mirror and reacted. >> reporter: good morning, sam. fairfield police tell us two people who were killed last night in the accident were burned to death in a head-on collision. this taking place a little before 12:30 this morning, while a third person is in the hospital. if you want to take a look at your tv screen, you can see the video captured by our own nbc bay area photographer. it shows just how horrific this collision was. it involved two sedans, both smashed into each other, burst into flames around 12:24 on peabody road in fairfield. if you're not familiar, this is a semi rural road near vacaville and the solano state prison. we did hear from the driver who happened to see the accident in his rear view mirror, he turned around to help while his girlfriend called 911. he ran over to both of the cars. both cars already on fire. he reached into one of the vehicles and helped the driver

get out while the flames enveloped his car. >> i seen two cars head-on, and then i parked, tried to -- i had my girlfriend call 911. i tried to pull one of the guys out. he was like -- they were both on fire already, so i didn't know what to do. i tried to pull one of the guys out. i pulled him out. and then he was helping himself, too, he was trying his hardest. >> reporter: that witness, as he mentioned, was able to rescue one, struggled to save a second person. wasn't able to. again, the fairfield police department say two people burned to death in one of the vehicles. the person this man rescued taken to the hospital, condition unknown. fairfield police are still investigating to figure out which car may have veered over out of their plane and created this head-on collision. they'll also investigate whether alcohol played a role.

peabody road not far from travis air force based expected to be shut down for a mile and a half until about 10:00 this morning. bob redell for "today in the bay." >> thank you very much, bob. 6:35 right now. new this morning, agent thorts in the south bay are looking for a driver who struck and injured a toddler and then took off. it happened in east san jose on row hampton and vancouver court. the chp says a man and his young grandson were out walking when someone in a silver car drove by and struck the boy. that driver of the car kept on driving. a responding officer san joses the boy regained consciousness before being transported to the hospital. no word on the boy's condition this morning. happening today, the san francisco police commission will meet to talk about the police department's use of force policy. it comes just a day after the newly appointed police chief said revising the policy would be one of his top priorities. >> with the relationship between the police department and the community strained right now,

"today in the bay's" the pete suratos explains which issues specifically the commission is going to be focusing on during its meeting today. >> good morning to you in the newsroom. yes, incoming police chief bill scott will have a tall task ahead of him as he has to evaluate the city's use of force policies when it comes o to the san francisco police department, something that hasn't been updated in decades. one o of the biggest items to deal with is getting the police commission and police union on the same page. we'll hear more of the same tonight as the commission talks about their proposed policy for use of force. this comes in the wake of high profile deadly officer involved shootings in the past year including mario woods and alex nieto. as far as the review policy goes, the commission's focus is around deescalation techniques for police officers rather than officers using deadly force. the commission also wants to restrict officers from shooting into moving vehicles which the police union disagrees with. incoming chief comes to sfpd after decades of work with lapd,

most recently holding the post of deputy chief with that department. he'll have to rely on that experience heavily in his new host. >> what worked for me was a chief that made me believe that he was supportive of me getting the job done by giving me what i needed to get the job done. >> reporter: chief scott doesn't start his position until the end of january. we know tonight's police commission meeting at city hall is scheduled for 50:30 p.m. in san francisco, pete suratos for "today in the bay." 6:37 right now. authorities in berlin, germany, still searching or the driver of the truck that slammed into a busy christmas market on monday night killing a dozen people. in the meantime, law enforcement agencies in the united states are responding to the attack as well by beefing up security ahead of the busy travel weekend. >> "today in the bay's" edward lawrence joining us from wad to show us specifically the steps authorities are taking at home. edward? >> reporter: exactly. some big steps, sam and laura.

we should point out there's no credible threat against the united states at this point. still police officers across the nation are not taking any chances. in new york city, for example, a special police unit is monitoring times square, also shoppers with bags are mingling in other parts of the city with officers carrying assault rifles, the same in philadelphia, where the police commissioner doesn't want to necessarily alarm people. he wants to make sure folks know they're out there. los angeles, dallas, san francisco, you'll see an increased police presence at areas where holiday shoppers are or areas where holiday folks gather like union square there in san francisco. should see a bigger police presence there. shoppers we talked with say they welcome this increased police presence and say they won't let the berlin attacks ruin the joyful occasion of this holiday. live in washington, edward lawrence, back to you, sam and laura. >> thank you very much, edward.

6:38. this has been a mystery for weeks. now we know what is to blame for a community thanksgiving dinner that turned deadly. you may recall three people died after thanksgiving celebration at the american legion hall in antioch. the cdc is pointing to a bacteria in some of the food that was served. it is one of the most common food born illnesses in the u.s. to avoid it, make sure you cook and store food at proper temperatures. a mod des stow man man pled guilty to a high end wine theft. he pleaded guilty to transported the wine back in 2014. two other businesses were also targeted. the stolen wine was worth nearly $900,000. prosecutors say he and another suspect arranged to ship some to north carolina where it was later discovered. the other suspect had not yet entered a plea. a followup on a story you may remember from this past fall. two contra costa county

firefighters accused of picking a fight with responding police officers are facing more charges. it all happened back in october outside the walnut creek marriott during the firefighters ball going on there. when officers arrived, police say the firefighters identified as andrew desmond an lontavius johnson were belligerent and drunk along with their dates. when they refused to leave, a fight broke out with the police officers. they're facing battery and assault charges along with the original charges related to intoxication. san jose firefighters and police officers have been overpaid by nearly $1 million over the past two decades. san jose miscalculated repeatedly when issuing payments from the city's pension fund. now some 300 retirees have been notified about the mixup, and they may have to reimburse those funds themselves. apparently some people owe more than $30,000. city leaders are still trying to decide exactly who will have to

pay and how it will be done. good wednesday morning. as the sun rises, as you get up and get ready to get the day started, it's chilly out there. 41 in palo alto and oakland. morgan hill at 38 degrees. so definitely some long sleeves needed. and we are looking now at the north bay. san rafael is looking good with some clear visibility. but the air quality will be unhealthy today. so another spare-the-air alert. no wood burning, and the air quality will still be moderate for the east bay, peninsula and the south bay. heading into the weekend, we're tracking a storm. i'll talk more about that coming up in ten minutes. mike is tracking a crash in sunol. >> one of the issues you don't have to worry, barely any slowing in the south bay. the build pattern, typical, very, very light right now, typical as you approach this

holiday weekend. we're looking towards south 680. the crash at sunol boulevard, must be completely cleared by now although chp hasn't had a chance to update us. slowing toward the construction zone for 84 around vallecitos as well. a build for hayward, no problem. up towards the bay bridge, the eastshore freeway with speeds below 15 miles per hour. 28 minutes from highway 4 to the bay bridge where the toll plaza has the packup. fast track moves well. back to you. >> as people sit there. 6:42 right now. coming up, the dangers your christmas tree poses what bay area firefighters say you need to know to avoid a christmas tragedy. a sense of security over the holidays robbed for some folks living in a south bay neighborhood. >> quite a few houses being broken into in our neighborhood. probably around nine as we speak. >> while they're guarding up and protecting each other. the steps those folks are taking

to create a safer community rjts they're not flirting. goodness knows the markets are. dow starts at a new record after the big board getting it started this morning, a little difficult. we'll take a look when "today in the bay" continues.

it is 6:45. if you plan on traveling this weekend, be mindful we'll have some rain moving in, but

christmas eve is looking good. it will be very chilly to start, only 40 degrees at 9:00 in the morning. highs in the low 50s. a break in the rain for christmas eve and christmas day. it will be chilly christmas day, only 36 degrees to start for the bay and inland areas. i'll have a look at the complete microclimate forecast including some rain coming up. look at that. approaching the bay bridge. 24 minutes, a build down the eastshore freeway. no major problems at the toll plaza or across the span. san mateo bridge and the dumbarton bridge, a little build at san mateo. slowing for north 101. a few minutes longer than the 85 drive from san jose to mountain view. >> thank you very much. it is 6:46 right now. we know the name of the postal truck driver who was killed when his truck overturned on interstate 680. we brought it to you as breaking news on monday. we're now learning the driver was a man from sacramento, just 26 years old, kumar apparently struck an abandoned ford minivan

on the shoulder which caused his truck to overturn. kumar later died at the hospital. people living in a san jose neighborhood are on edge after a string of robberyies. this is the cory neighborhood near valley field mall. neighbors say they've been robbed of their sense of security. >> it's frustrating and makes you a little angry, but also it's sad because pretty soon youz start suspecting everybody. >> some people are posting signs to warn other neighbors. they're also alerting people on a community message board. some tell us they're installing surveillance cameras as well. firefighters in san francisco want us all to enjoy the holidays but want to remind us that it doesn't take long for things to go dangerously wrong.

>> it can happen so quickly. this is a christmas tree safety demonstration. they say a tree not properly water and cared for can turn the inside of a home into a death trap and at least 250 house fires every year are caused by christmas trees. >> the dow 20k watch is on right now. >> there are only so many times i can say the dow is flirting with 20,000. it will continue to flirt. let's take you to the opening bell. it's been doing incredibly well. here is a live look at the big board. the dow down about five points at 19,989. we will continue to take a careful eye at this. as we watch this run-up to 20,000, there's an irony here. the stock market is doing well. the money managers at calpers are bearish, worried about the money they invest in the

markets. it won't return as much as they want, that's their worry. this matters a lot. because calpers retirement systems for local, county and state workers. here is why it matters to you even if you're not a government worker. if calpers thinks it will get less from the stock market over here, it has to increase the income from somewhere else to meet the pension obligations. there are only two places it can find more money. one is the workers themselves. obviously they have to pay more into their retirement. two is you, the taxpayer. this pie chart just cost you money. i will point out these are pretend numbers. it's simple math so i can show you the relationship. sam and laura, at yesterday's meeting, they said we don't think the stock market is going to do as well. we're going to have to find the money somewhere else. a dark day for taxpayers. in the meantime. it is actually the darkest day today. while you were sleeping, the winter solstice happened. >> let's head outside to sfo.

winter officially begins today. turn on the red and green lights. they've been on because holiday travel is in full swing. the airport all lit up in the christmas colors this morning. the winter solstice happened at 2:44 a.m. we got up for it. that's when the earth's axis in the northern hemisphere are tilted furthest from the sun. it means today is the shortest day of the year. the bay area expected to get ability nine hours of sunlight today. >> let's take the glass half full approach which is that every day from here on out, kari, is going to be more light. >> yes. this is the shortest day of the year and we get less sun nye but it will be a warmer day this afternoon, looking at bright conditions and also looking nice and warm. but it is still chilly this morning as you head out. here is a live look outside at palo alto, the sun is rising, great start to this wednesday morning. of course, many people getting out there on the roadways, i'll

have your forecast, whether you're traveling or if you're staying at home or maybe waiting for family to come in. 45 degrees right now in oakland. palo alto, 50 in san francisco, 53 in half moon bay. still in the upper 30s for the north bay and looking across the country, there are some warmer temperatures compared to just a couple of days ago. it's still freezing, though, for about half of the country. and there's some snow coming down from minneapolis over towards chicago. the biggest problem spot there, but there's not a lot of the storm systems moving through. we will actually have a big problem spot heading into friday as well as the weekend. today a warmer day, highs in the low 60s. mid 60s for half moon day. a good day to head to the beach. be mindful the waves will be kicking up. we could have dangerous beach conditions. there's rain moving up from the south. this will not affect us. we're actually turning our attention to the north and west with a storm system moving out of the pacific that will bring

in some rain. once again, a dangerous surf today. waves up to 10 to 15 feet with higher sets. the next couple days still dry. it will be windy with heavy rain at times. we'll have another round of rain moving in on christmas that continues into the start of next week. so look at how much rain we can see, the potential of at least .50 inch up to 1.25. traveling to lake tahoe, the heaviest snow will be coming down on saturday and early sunday morning. for the travel farther to the south around monterey, still some showers, but it will be warmer and reaching 54 degrees on christmas day. i'll have another quick look at the forecast coming up. mike has a look now at what's happening in the south bay. >> kari, we have a mild build for the commute obviously. light traffic all month. this week definitely the case. the south bay has an easy flow of traffic. i want to show you right here where 101 has been slowing north

of 680. the live camera shows a good volume of traffic. >> this looks like it will be starting to slow down more. worse over the 7:00 hour, 7:30. back to the maps, we'll look towards the tri-valley. a smooth easy drive after the crash cleared at sunol. getting back to the speed limit through pleasanton. recovering speeds as the morning continues. the bay bridge toll plaza metering lights are on. the san mateo bridge shows slowing as well westbound. we saw the burst hit towards the peninsula. back to you. >> thank you very much, mike. up next, top local headlines we're following this morning. that includes breaking news happening right now in the south bay as a suspect slips away from police. they thought they had him cornered at a standoff at this toyota dealership. the crime police say the suspect was involved in and the surprising witness who saw it all. that's coming up. as kari has been mentioning, tracking our next storm set to hit just before the holiday weekend, take your forecast with you with a free nbc bay area app. plus a peninsula mom and golden

state warriors dance cam star struts her stuff again, this time on the oracle arena floor with the club's dance team. see the video we posted the our facebook page overnight. we'll be back here in just two minutes. once i heard i was going to

be a park ranger, i got really excited. gabe's obviously really sick. and there's a lot that he isn't able to do, and make-a-wish stepped in. we had to climb up the mountain to get the injured hiker. he fell from, like, a rock. he's been the one that has been rescued so many times. he said to me, "today, i got to be the hero." (avo) the subaru share the love event has helped grant the wishes of over twelve hundred kids so far. get a new subaru, and we'll donate two hundred and fifty dollars more to help those in need. ♪put a little love in your heart.♪

welcome back. 6:56 on your wednesday morning. before you head out the door, here are the top stories on nbc bay area. we begin with breaking news we've been following this morning since about 5:00 in san

jose. police are looking for a man they say was involved in some sort of fight with two other men when someone pulled out a gun and fired at them. it all happened near the stevens creek toyota on stevens creek boulevard near kiley. they eventually searched a warehouse where they believe the man fled into, dropping the gun and ammunition along the way. they never located him. they did take two people into custody this morning. kris sanchez has been following the story for us. so far that manhunt has been called off. let's go to other top news right now, laura. we continue to follow this fiery crash in fairfield. a fiery head-on crash in solano county. nbc bay area photographer captured that video just moments after the crash. it happened a little after midnight on peabody road east of interstate 80 near the travis air force base. you see both cars there completely in flames. a man driving ahead of the

crash, noticed it going on in his rear knew mirror, stopped and turned around. he said he was only able to pull one man from the car as both cars burned. a deadly shooting at a pawnshop yesterday afternoon. a man along with a dog was killed. he's not been identified. another man was seriously injured. people who work inside the store say there are a lot of surveillance cameras inside the pawnsh pawnshop. that is one bit of evidence police will be looking at in hopes of solving the crime. in mexico investigators are trying to figure out what caused a massive explosion at a fireworks market. so gripping and tragic. 29 people were killed. dozens more injured. that explosion happened about 20 miles north of mexico's capital yesterday. the fireworks market was especially packed because there were holiday shoppers there buying fireworks for a traditional mexican holiday. another spare-the-air alert is in effect.

live in fremont here, this is the third spare-the-air day of the winter season. it means you can't burn wood indoors or out for 48 hours.  cold and calm conditions. one of the reasons we've seen the spare-the-air alert. >> it will be warmer today. you're noticing it's not as cold this morning, but still fairly chilly. in san francisco today, mostly sun nye skies. 57 degrees. we're tracking the next storm that will be here on friday with some rain and some wind. a break on christmas eve and another round late christmas night. more on that coming up. pretty mild commute this morning as well. i went out to dinner last night. it seems like the holidays already started. no one is working. >> going out to dinner already? smooth flow, very light traffic. i have to use the arrows to point out where it's slow, where it's not green. northbound routes through san jose. typical pattern here, across the richmond-san rafael bridge and the bay bridge and the san mateo bridge, we end with slowing as well. >> there we go. >> aren't you also cooking

dinner for quite a few people? >> a big one this weekend. >> bring us the leftovers. >> that's what's happening "today in the bay." back at 7:25 with an update. good morning. massive explosion, a crowded fireworks market near mexico city erupts setting off a fiery chain reaction. at least 31 people killed, 70 others injured. an investigation under way. desperate manhunt. the searc intensifies for whoever was behind the wheel in that deadly attack on a christmas market in berlin. the only person arrested released over a lack of evidence. terrifying attack. two-time wimbledon champion stabbed in the hand by a burglar who broke into her home. this morning the latest on what could be a career impacting injury and the search for the intruder still at large.