your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. they have been working frantically to try to prevent a nuclear meltdown. now they have been told to stop. the scary setback in japan, where the crisis stands right now. >> and it's been a wet week so far. so should you have your jackets and umbrella handy again today? yeah. [ laughter ] >> keep 'em handy, everybody. >> indeed. indeed. good morning, everyone. it is wednesday, the 16th of march. i'm sydnie kohara hi, everybody. i'm frank mallicoat. it is wednesday, time now 4:30. a whole lot of rain coming our way. good morning, lawrence. >> not only keep the jackets and raincoats and all your umbrellas handy, just leave

them out, folks. you are going to need them for some time to come. we have showers out there now. from you heading out, most of it lighter amounts of rainfall making its way in across the peninsula. a cell going across the bay to san leandro, we'll see this on and off this morning, tapering off this afternoon. when will more storms hit? first let's get a check of traffic with elizabeth. >> my fellow friend in purple. chains required on 50, 80 and 88. here's interstate 80 near applegate. pack your chains. rain here usually means snow up there. roadwork eastbound 4 through pittsburg, various lanes blocked until 7:00 as well as portions of the dumbarton bridge. we'll have more updates coming up including a check of mass transit in a little bit. in the meantime, back to you. >> thank you. several developments in

japan at this hour. the 50 workers who are the last line of defense at the troubled nuclear power plant are getting ready to return now. charlie d'agata reports, they were ordered out overnight as radiation levels soared. reporter: efforts to prevent a full-blown nuclear disaster suffered a frightening setback overnight. >> the workers are said to have been evacuated to a safe location. >> reporter: a dangerous spike in radiation levels forced workers out of the fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant. but a short time later officials say the levels came back down and the operation resumed. crews have been desperately trying to cool the reactors since last week's earthquake and tsunami damaged the plant but a string of explosions and fires have made that job much more difficult. just yesterday, smoke billowed from one reactor after a blaze broke out. japanese officials insist there is no reason to panic but some residents aren't so sure. >> they say we are safe but it makes me wonder, is it really.

>> reporter: here in tag sake less than 150 miles west of the nuclear plant people are going on with their lives but like many in their area, people wonder about the amount of radiation and where it's headed. in tokyo where low levels of radiation were detected, store shelves were wiped out after people stocked up. >> no water, no food. >> reporter: japan is fighting disaster on so many fronts. the earthquake, tsunami and humanitarian crisis, the growing nuclear nightmare and now the newest problem, the weather. a cold snap overnight brought freezing temperatures and snow to some of of the hardest-hit areas. in tagasaki, japan, charlie d'agata, cbs 5. >> charlie will report live from tokyo coming up in a half hour. japanese helicopters have taken to the air to combat the crisis at the plants. japanese broadcaster nhk says two helicopters are being

dispatched to the plant in fukushima one to monitor radiation levels and the other to dump water on the reactor. now more than 100 miles from fukushima, hospital workers are checking people for possible exposure and other hospital workers for radiation. and amid all the radiation and earthquake fears in japan, the normally bustling streets of tokyo are mostly quiet and deserted. people there now being urged to stay indoors and close windows just in case. they are still feeling aftershocks. a 6.0 magnitude quake hit eastern japan yesterday shaking buildings but there are no immediate reports of damage. that's good news. tidal changes were reported but this time there was no risk of a tsunami. as japan deals with quake related problems at its nuclear power plants, president obama says he understands our concern about u.s. facilities but says there is a need for all types

of energy sources and they are all closely monitored. >> obviously, all energy sources have their down sides. we saw that with the gulf spill last summer. but i do think it's important for us to think through constantly how can we improve nuclear technology to deal with additional safety concerns that people have. >> in an interview with a pittsburgh television station, the president said u.s. facilities are designed to withstand strong earthquakes though nothing is completely foolproof. japan's stocks rebounded after two days of losses. the nikkei finished up nearly 6%. yesterday it closed at its lowest level in almost two years after falling 16% over two days. key markets in germany, britain and france also up a bit today. here in the u.s., futures suggest a slightly positive day

on wall street. well, the air we breathe is being checked for possible dangers from japan's damaged nuclear plant. a device on top of a building in downtown san francisco continually monitors our air for signs of radiation. the threat could come in the form of beta particles and gamma waves if the reactor core melts down on the other side of the pacific. >> that's extremely unlikely that there will be any risk to folks in this country. the distance is so large. >> despite the distance, many people in the bay area are stocking up on potassium iodide pills and kelp, both said to protect the thyroid from radioactive contamination. and japan is now asking the united states for a shipment of those potassium iodide pills for use in a nuclear emergency. again, they work by filling the thyroid with potassium iodide so it has no room to absorb the

radioactive variety, especially crucial for children, most sensitive to the radioactivity. people shouldn't use those pills if they are allergic to iodine or have certain skin disorders or thyroid disease. and if you want to help japanese victims, we urge you to go to cbssf.com, our website. you can click on "links and numbers" for a list of agencies that are coordinating relief. 4:37. in other news, we are just learning that palestinian president mahmoud abbas is not going to run for re-election. this is the first time that abbas has said explicitly i would not seek another term. in a speech today, abbas also said he is willing to travel to the gaza strip to promote reconciliation between the feuding palestinian territories. well, quite a bit of rain falling out there in some spots, we know that. let's look at highway 1 in sonoma county near valley ford. this is early last night. a foot and a half of water forcing crews to shut down that road in both directions. >> and take a look at this video, a big wall of mud and

debris slid on the it's dare row highway near russian river. the county did get crews throughout and they were able to clean up the mess but what a mess it was. >> what everybody wants to know is how long will this rain continue? let's check with lawrence who has a look at the midweek forecast. >> good morning. we have some more rain around the bay area today. showers out there nothing real heavy but we have moderate amounts of rain in parts of the bay area right now. the north bay good yellow showing moderate rain into novato, mill valley. it will be showery on and off throughout the morning. be prepared for rain this morning. by the afternoon, those skies are going to part a bit and we'll try and start to dry out but it won't last long. there's more stormy weather on the way. you can see the system sliding onshore right now and making its way into california, bringing with it rain here, snow in the high country, temperatures running in the 50s with scattered showers around

the bay area right now. i think as we look toward the afternoon, those numbers are going to be mainly into the 50s and a few 60s outside. so not a bad day in the afternoon as we are going to see a little bit of sunshine, too. and we should begin to dry out a little bit. but as we head toward tomorrow, there is a slight chance we could pick up a few more scattered showers. looks like a good system moving in then. scattered showers continuing into saturday, more rain expected come sunday. and monday and tuesday guess what, a few more raindrops. elizabeth does not look happy with this forecast. >> a little brutal. what's that syndrome when you don't get enough sunshine when it's just dreary? >> the i need some sprig syndrome? >> yes. you need that vitamin d. i feel that. it's depressing after a while. thanks, lawrence. >> all right. let's go out towards our maps. i show you some live traffic sensors. overall things are doing okay despite the wet start to our morning commute. we have some areas of roadwork including here at the dumbarton bridge. westbound 84 various lanes

blocked until about 7:00 this morning. sounds like it's from the radio towers all the way towards the high-rise but again not causing any delays so far. we have a permanent ramp closure off-ramp at portola avenue permanently shut down since earlier this week shut down on monday so use airway boulevard instead. roadwork in the eastbound lanes of highway 4 closed for a couple of hours between bailey road and railroad avenue. a couple of lanes blocked until 7 a.m. back to you. >> thank you. poor elizabeth, we want to get you some sunshine out there. >> it's all frank's fault. >> it's my fault? i was just going to say i'm suffering from the same syndrome. >> i was going to blame it on lawrence. >> he comes from boston and we're supposed to be sunny california, right? and nothing but rain. >> i was just saying to sydnie, i haven't been home in the month of march in so many years i forget what it's supposed to like. i forgot it rains here every day. >> you poor people, pitiful.

>> play our violins. 4:40. we knew the pink slips would be passed out. up ahead just how many california teachers got the notices. >> plus the crisis in japan is having an impact on a popular food. the sushi shortage coming up. >> the stolen sign, a police chase and witches? how they all might be connected to a bay area hate crime when we come back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

more showers showing up around the bay area, in san jose, light stuff there. there is more on the way. we'll talk about that coming up. all righty, lawrence. it is 4:43 on wednesday. the earthquake and tsunami in japan are affecting all times of businesses around the world, even japanese restaurants here in the united states very concerned the disaster has shut down a major fish market in japan that supplies ingredients for sushi that supplies many eateries right here in the united states. >> in tokyo they are undergoing

planned and scheduled blackouts so a lot of the restaurants then are left without refrigeration or ways to keep fish so the little they have caught became available much sooner than anybody expected. >> of course, the situation much more serious in japan where it could take years to recover from the low food supply there. what appears to be a semple theft of a sign may turn -- simple theft of a sign may turn out to do with witches. somethingthis sign was put in a van with christian signs. he left for 20 minutes before getting arrested. >> we have a person with christian propaganda painted all over his vehicle stealing from the witches. and i don't think it's a coincidence that stole our sign. i think it's because of his religious beliefs and how he feels about our religious beliefs. i think that makes it a hate crime, doesn't it?

>> the shop owner says everyone tries to get along in santa cruz and he is hoping that the guy who stole the sign from the witch store is from out of state. an employee jotted down his oregon place number which helped police spot him. tens of thousands of california teachers and staff having given pink slips. >> no teacher left behind! >> the protestors rallying against the cuts in oakland yesterday where 657 teachers received the layoff warnings. so far an estimated 19,000 educators have been given pink slips statewide. depending what happens with the state budge districts will decide on may 15 how many teachers will be laid off. the senate will vote on the state budget this afternoon. 4457. a vote today could prevent a government shutdown at least for a few weeks. the senate is expected to pass another temporary funding measure to keep the federal government running. the house approved it yesterday. the bill would keep the governor through april 8 giving

lawmakers a little time to figure out a long-term plan. but $8billion would be cut from federal programs. and american forces could start pulling out of afghanistan as soon as july. general david petraeus the top u.s. command there are told lawmakers he will soon recommend a plan for withdrawing troops. responsibility will be shifted to the afghan people. after that petraeus said the tide is now turning against the taliban despite concerns of government corruption there. three years after a crime in santa cruz the new technology that led to an arrest. >> are they safe? the crucial pipeline information pg&e is missing and what the utility might be forced to do. >> those airport scanners, are they safe? one expert's warning for frequent flyers. ,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

tical new this morning, pg&e will

test or replace hundreds of miles of pipe because some critical safety information is missing. the utility says it will test 150 miles of pipe similar to the one that exploded in san bruno. pg&e had until 5:00 yesterday to prove that its gas pressure levels are safe. but pg&e says it couldn't find 8% of the required documents. it says that it did turn over the rest of the information, thought, to authorities. dna leads to an arrest of a brutal assault just three years ago. santa cruz police arrested 21- year-old elvis garcia friday for rape, robbery and false imprisonment. he is accused of attacking a woman working at a coffeehouse at the santa cruz harbor there. dna found at the crime scene closely matched that of garcia's father who provided a sample for the state's database after a felony arrest. >> i am thrilled by what we are

doing. it highlights for me who we are as californians, frankly, where we are the place that has cultivated the science. >> garcia will be arraigned later this month. conviction could mean 80 years to life in jail. a woman from mexico is in a south bay jail this morning accused of hiding a big stash of meth in her pt cruiser. sheriff's deputies pulled her over on friday afternoon near highways 101 and 152. they say the stash is worth about $430,000 and was hidden in a secret compartment in the car. the driver is from tijuana. she is being held without bail. police are now starting to enforce a law aimed at curbing san francisco's chronic panhandling problem. it's known as the sit-lie ordinance. so named because it restricts sitting and lying on sidewalks. police have been issuing warnings but since last thursday, officers have been enforcing the law. >> well, the law itself was

written for a gentle rollout in which if you advice somebody they are in violation of the law and they comply with the law, that's the end of it. >> hey, you guys, we didn't mind you guys making a documentary. but give us some money so we can drink some beer. >> the voter-approved initiative makes it illegal to sit or lie along public sidewalks from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. 4:51 your time and it's a high school equivalent of the nobel prize. a danville teen has taken home first place 17-year-old evan odorne is from the east bay and the first bay area student to win the intel science talent search. organizers say he is also the first home schooled winner. he beat out 39 other finalists from across the country for his work in mathematics. the team found the answer to a mathematical problem. they won $100,000 and he got congratulations from the

president, as well. >> and frank you weren't in the bay area but this is the same kid -- he is used to the national spotlight. he won the 2007 national spelling bee. >> he may be the president someday. >> yeah. >> evan o'dorney, home schooled. >> now where he is going to go to school? which where he wants! that's right, folks. he can go anywhere. he can write his ticket. if you are heading out the door this mornings you have showers outside, heavier amounts in parts of the north bay. also seeing showers sliding into the east bay, as well. rainfall continuing this morning and tapering off. but you have some showers into hayward, castro valley, also into the san ramon and dublin. rain this morning, temperatures mainly into the 50s. we have some areas of fog so be careful. watch out for that across some of the mountains. skyline boulevard looking at thick fog there so be careful traveling in that direction. by the afternoon, there is still a slight chance of

showers but we'll see some sunshine sneaking between. and it's going to be a little bit breezy. temperatures running in the 50s, some low 60s showing up around the bay area in toward the afternoon hours. so here's your next storm system making its way into california bringing with it more rain here, lots of snow in the sierra nevada and well, we have a series of storms that are lining up off the pacific now. showers for today, i think tomorrow there is a slight chance that we could see a couple of scattered showers not a real big deal. we may sneak in more sunshine than clouds but still a slight chance. temperatures in the 60s in the south bay. north bay temperatures in the 50s and 60s. we have showers lingering into tomorrow. no big deal. looks like a much bigger deal on friday. we should get significant rain

in the bay area. showers on saturday, more rain expected on sunday and guess what after that, yup, more rain on monday and tuesday of next week. i can't wait until spring. yeah. not too far away, but, boy, winter holding on! here's elizabeth with a look at traffic. >> i got an email, seasonal affecteddive disorder, thank you, linda, for sending that email. all right. let's go to our live traffic cameras. yeah, it's kind of a wet start to our morning commute but we don't have any wind advisories, no fog advisories, nothing like that. so overall, your commute doing pretty well this morning. here's a live look at the san mateo bridge. this is the commute direction westbound 92 still 13-minute drive out of hayward towards foster city and the peninsula. bay bridge same thing you can see that it's definitely wet out there a little puddling in the middle lanes as drivers make their way towards the pay gates and a few cars there weighting in one of those lanes but otherwise again no big issues heading into san francisco. golden gate bridge they should be doing the lane change here any minute. but for right now, you are free- flowing in either direction

looks good through marin county. and here's your drive time for some of your more popular routes in the east bay this time of the morning. you can see you're still doing well westbound 580 out of the altamont pass. and up and down the nimitz freeway, no delay from hayward all the way into oakland. and mass transit also off to a nice start if you want to ditch the roads in this wet weather don't want to mess with the morning commute. it's a bad backup yesterday by the way at the bay bridge. systemwide bart is on time, and remember our radio partners, kcbs 740-am and 106.9-fm. that is your traffic and your weather. back to you. >> elizabeth, thanks very much. it is 4:55. researchers are questioning the safety of the whole body airport scanners that use low levels of radiation. in the new issue of "radiology," one scientist says the levels are safe for the occasional traveler but frequent flyers and airline workers might want to opt for a patdown. another researcher says more studies are needed to look at the scanners a long-term effects. lawmakers are discussing the

issue today on capitol hill. and a 40-year study finds the number of heavy smokers in the u.s. has dropped dramatically. the latest research in the journal of the american medical association shows just 7% of americans smoke a pack a day or more. now, that is a major decline from 1965, when nearly 23% of americans smoked heavily. california had the biggest drop. today, less than 3% of the population smokes a pack or more a day. walking and talking on a cell phone may be more dangerous than you think. a small study found that when people 59 to 81 were on a cell phone, their reaction time was slower and it took them longer to cross the street. researchers say everyone should use caution when crossing the street while using a cell phone, but older adults should be especially careful. everybody should be careful. >> i was in the mall the other day and you ever notice or in an airport, every other person has -- is either looking down

or has that thing hermetically sealed to the ear. >> a person texting or something and she fell into a fountain? >> i didn't see that. >> be careful. it is 4:57. efforts to prevent a nuclear meltdown hits a big roadblock. we have a live report coming up from tokyo straight ahead. and a big tsunami in the bay area. why experts say it could happen and where it could hit. >> and a police chase, stolen sign and witches, how they are all tied to a bay area hate crime investigation. ,,,,

never in my lifetime did i think i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles in 3 days-- i can do that. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me. we had an outpouring of-- of support. i wanted to do something bigger than myself. the 60 miles-- it makes a statement. i know i'm stronger than i was before, both mentally and physically. i walk with my sister. our relationship has gone to a whole new level because of training together. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. i knew that there was something really special about this event. when you accomplish those 60 miles,

it's truly life-changing. it was three days of hope. of love. of empowerment. it was three days the way the world should be. here i am, second year in a row, and i'm already signed up for next year's. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime. your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. et. caption colorado comments@captioncolorado.com japan's nuclear crisis reaches a boiling point. we have a live report from tokyo on the radiation threat coming up. and good morning, everyone. thanks so much for joining us. it is wednesday, the 16th of march. i'm sydnie kohara. >> it is. i'm frank mallicoat. the time now 4:30. we'll have the very latest on all the developments in japan in just a moment. but first, let's get a quick check of weather and traffic and let's toss it over to lawrence