community. wind-fueling this early mor . a rude awakening for a north bay community. wind fueling this early morning fire. more on the damage left behind. plus, taking a public plea to help door to door. the little boy wounded in oakland's latest shootout. the political flare-up in yesterday's walking tour. a good week for wall street, topping off with unexpected jobs numbers. the signs of life for the u.s. economy. it is 7:00 on saturday morning, december 3. thanks for joining us. i'm anne mackovic. >> and i'm kristy siefken. >> and it's been extremely windy. >> and we're still seeing some of that today. strong gusts overnight caused a fire.

we'll talk about that in a bit. windy conditions outside right now, sustained wind speeds up to 20 miles an hour in some locations. but we will start to see that wind decrease a little bit into the afternoon and we'll start to see actually sunny skies. but santa rosa specifically is where we saw really gusty winds. we actually saw gusts up to 41 miles an hour yesterday and winds up to 29 miles an hour that fueled that fire. looks like you've got a little more information about that, ann, about the fire. and we've got pictures of this big fire in santa rosa this morning, that as kristy mentioned, was fueled by these strong winds. the fire started at around 1:00 this morning on todd road. three acres and a motor home burned. downed power lines created a hazard for firefighters. pg&e had to shut off power to the area so crews could move in. crews had to truck water in to fight this fire.

some nearby homes had to be evacuated overnight temporarily. no injuries were reported. no word yet on the cause of this fire. this morning, we are expecting to hear from herman cain about whether he will continue his campaign for president. >> i will be making an announcement, but nobody's going to get me to make that prematurely. that's all there is to that. >> cain has been dealing with allegations of a 13-year-long extra marital affair, as well as sexual harassment. in a few minutes, we'll talk with our political analyst, joe tumen about cain's troubles. the labor department says the unemployment rate dropped last month to its lowest level in more than two years, 8.6%. that is down nearly half a percentage point. anthony mason shows us what is moving the economy forward. >> reporter: private hiring improved last month, as

businesses added 140,000 workers. 20,000 government layoffs cut the total slightly. but job gains in earlier months were revised sharply higher, too. september, which at first reported an anemic 100,000 jobs gains, has been revised up to more than 200,000. october was also revised higher and economist diane huang says-- >> it has stabilized begin and looks like it's beginning to move forward. now, we're moving forward in a traffic jam, not speeding along, but it's better than the alternative. >> reporter: hiring intentions at small businesses are at their highest level since 2008. >> if we can find good people, we'll bring them in. >> reporter: robertson, whose company builds scenery for theatrical shows, says business is improving.

>> we're 19 full-time employees niewpped a few part-timers, up three people from last year. >> reporter: it's been a week of encouraging signs for the economy. on monday, retail sales from the holiday weekend set a new record. tuesday, consumer confidence spiked up sharply. wednesday, pending home sales jumped 10%, and thursday auto sales soared 14%. >> it means the economy is regaining momentum at the end of the year. the question is whether that can be carried. i think 2012 will be stronger than 2011, but let's face it, that's an easy threshold to cross. >> the biggest threat to that momentum is the european debt crisis. the stakes are so high, treasury secretary geithner will head to europe next week, ahead of a summitt of european leaders next friday in brussels. anthony mason, cbs news, new york. oakland police have detained five persons of interest in that shootout that left a little boy in critical condition. but investigators say they still need more help from the public.

city leaders are knocking on doors in west oakland, trying to drum up leads in that shooting of seven people. interim police chief howard jordan is hoping that a $35,000 reward, and an anonymous tip line will generate useful information. mayor jean quan is also going door to door, but a lot of people are refusing to talk to her. >> she ain't doing nothing! >> what do you think she should be doing? >> she should be down here, like she should have been down here involved. she ain't involved in nothing! >> mayor kwan denies she's on the streets to garner favorable publicity. she says she's done similar publicity before without this kind of media attention. meantime, the mother of 1-year-old is making a plea for legal help. >> unfortunately, we've come to a cross road. and we are unable to agree on a

continuum of care for the baby. as a result, we are seeking support from patients rights attorneys. >> the little boy's family is not saying what doctors are recommending right now and the hospital is not commenting also. in fairfax, the state's oldest medical marijuana dispensary has been evicted. the dispensary's founder has been fighting to keep the club open since becoming one of the targets of a federal crackdown this fall. a federal judge ruled they are selling can bass, which is against the law.. >> i told them when we do come in, you'll know. there will be no question you'll know. >> and when you say when we come in, it's going to happen? >> i've suggested it to them time and time again. that's why they are in some kind

of anxiety state that time is no limit. >> to help bolster support amongst the encampment, protesters erected a statue incorporating abandoned police barriers as the symbol of their resistance. this was the scene last night in justin herman plaza, after hundreds of protesters marched through the city for a day of action. city supervisor john avila, who supports the movement, says there is no telling exactly what and when the city will do. >> i think it's a lot of worry about what the city's going to do here. i have expressed my opinion against removing, evicting the occupiers. i know that the city's playing kind of a cat and mouse game about what happens. >> city leaders have of course offered up a new camp site at an old school in the mission. back to our winds around here, boy, it has been crazy weather wise. then we had the warm temperature last night. >> real confusing to people. we're used to the bay area having breezy and cold

conditions at the coastline, but we actually had warmer temperatures, a few degrees above average for this time of year. those winds will die down. i'll tell you exactly when, in just a little bit. also coming up, a new court ruling on a life-saving donation, one that could mean extra cash in your pocket. a closer look at the ethical debate. and the hair, the whip, and the donald. how the real estate developer will share the lime light with presidential hopefuls. also, more on the race for the white house. we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

patients whose lives could depend on finding a bone marrow match. allen martin takes a closer look at the . a federal court handed a victory to cancer patients whose lives could depend on a bone marrow match. allen martin takes a closer look at the ruling. >> reporter: in its unanimous decision, the 9th circuit court of appeals ruled when bone marrow cells are donated using a bloodstream rather than through the hip, the donor can be paid.

>> certainly when the national organ transplant act was passed in 1984, there was virtually no discussion of bone marrow and certainly no discussion of banning compensation for bone marrow. >> reporter: the institute for justice led the fight to allow compensation, claiming nearly 3000 americans die each year, waiting to find a donor match, with minorities hardest hit. the court ruled donating marrow through the arm is no more painful and no more dangerous than donating blood. >> it is perfectly legal to compensate blood donors in the country. it's a process identical to blood donation from the arm and there's no reason to make it a crime that way. >> reporter: the u.s. attorney general defended a lower court's decision banning compensation under the oregon act. time, technology and procedures changed everything, according to this expert. >> whether you've got a resource that's renewable for an individual, where it's not

nearly as invasive, the risks aren't nearly as high, and where potentially with a robust donor service, everybody who needs to be a recipient could be. >> reporter: donors holding out for the highest price? supporters say they hope insurance companies will compensation bone marrow donors. >> the donor is as important to the donating process as doctors and nurses and the hospital. all of those people are allowed to be paid. so should donors. >> reporter: advocates say even though the case was heard in the 9th circuit court, it has national implications. the attorney general has 90 days to appeal. if you have a story idea, log on to cbssf.com. click on connect, scroll down to closer look and send me an e-mail. allen martin, cbs 5. back to the weather now, wondering when the temperatures are going to be a little closer to normal. kristy siefken, i'm not complaining at this point. it's been--

>> it's been unseasonably warm, 70s in the north bay, definitely unusual for this time of year. of course breezy conditions, those two things mix together, talk about fire danger that we saw. good news, we'll start to see changes as we make our way a little later on into the week. this morning, we're in the clear for the most part, taking a live look outside, not dealing with a lot of fog, not dealing with a lot of low clouds either. look at this shot of the city over the skyline. clear as a be. you don't see a single cloud in the photo. these are the types of conditions that we're going to enjoy for today, tomorrow, and in fact for the next several days. beautiful shot at the beach. stepping outside, temperatures actually not too bad, not too cool, sitting in the 50s for the most part. seeing a little bit of cloud cover at the coast, but that dewpoint steadily decreasing. not dealing with that fog.

this afternoon, lots of sunshine across the bay, temperatures pretty mild. we'll see high 60s, maybe even squeezing out a 70-degree reading in some of those inland spots. nothing to complain about there. in the satellite and radar, you can see any of the active weather is to the south and east of us. bay area not dealing with clouds until the middle of next work week. we are still seeing breezy conditions right now. fairfield seeing sustained winds of 17 miles an hour, 16 in napa, san francisco at 16 miles an hour as well. winds decreasing as we make our way into the afternoon, but we've got to watch out in the east bay hills and diablo range until 10:00 this morning, a wind advisory in effect. seeing gusts up to 50 miles an hour in those locations. so while we get to enjoy dry and mild weather because of high pressure that's holding, we'll continue to see breezes into the afternoon, then we'll calm down into the evening hours. here's your forecast around northern california. 59 as a high in sacramento, same for redding. lake tahoe at 33.

fresno to 55. a little bit of cloud cover at the coastline today, but mostly sunny skies. right here in the bay area, readings in the south bay, low to mid-60s there. going to see low 60s over in the east bay for antioch, pleasantton and walnut creek and central bay seeing readings in the low to mid-60s. oakland, very pleasant at 65 there today. we continue with this warm and dry pattern into sunday and monday, then we see a little more cloud cover return for your tuesday and wednesday. once again, folks, we'll see breezy conditions as we make our way into wednesday and thursday, although probably not anything close to what we've seen over the past couple of days. get outside, enjoy this calm weather while you still can. back to you, ann. out of the board room, on to the campaign trail. donald trump will moderate a republican presidential debate in iowa. >> probably endorse somebody. if that person doesn't win and if somebody gets in there that i don't really like in terms of the candidate, then we'll have to see what happens.

>> get this, trump also says he may consider throwing his own hat back into the ring. the debate airs on cable tv on december 27. as we said earlier, we are expecting a big announcement today on herman cain's campaign to examine the highs and lows of that campaign and the media scrutiny on the candidate. cbs 5 political analyst joe tumen joining us this morning. >> good morning. >> what do you make of this? we're just a few minutes away from this big cain announcement. yea or nay? >> with herman cain, it can be anything. you don't invite everybody to your campaign headquarters in atlanta to make that announcement if you're stepping out. on the other hand, it's very hard to you and your family, these things following you, not hard to understand the impact on his family, where he is in the polls at this point, very difficult for him to win if this trajectory continues in iowa in the first place, that he would continue. so from a business standpoint

and from a family standpoint, it would make sense to drop out today. herman cain, you never know. we'll have to wait and see. these allegations of sexual harassment and the concern about the potential 13-year affair that he had, how can that hurt a candidate? we saw the numbers drop, but it also seems like in politics, almost everybody's doing it! >> well, i think it can have a very large impact, particularly in the republican party, where these things marry. remember, in addition to these things cumulatively, herman cain on a number of occasions has made pretty serious gaffes in his answers, not about this, but things for which he'll be judged as president. chief responsibilities, the inability to know many of the details in these debates about the simple things, about 9-9-9, and the like. all of these things, they were refreshing and fresh in the beginning in their simplicity, but over time exposed him as

someone frankly who might not know the answers and be up to the job. the 8% he's sitting at in the polls right now also reflects that. it's interesting, because you're right, everybody did get excited. he seemed refreshing for a while there. >> yes. and you kind of saw him being built up and then torn down, which is something that we see in celebrities and in politics all the time. what is up with this pattern? >> well, this is the nature of american politics. we tend to campaign negatively. it's better to -- not better, but it's easier to advance your own campaign by tearing down your opponent than by making a case for yourself. in herman cain's case, the moment he got to be a frontrunner is when the troubles started. when everybody scrutinized all of his answers much more carefully. in the republican party, you've seen it over several months now, everybody seems to go up and go down at some point. the one person who benefited from this recently is newt gingrich. >> yeah, let's talk about him. he's on top right now. >> yeah, he is. i think we're trying to, or

we're starting to see many people reading a lot into this. does this mean he's the new person who might be able to beat barack obama? i have followed newt gingrich's career for a long time and he is exactly what he is. when you're running for office and you've been in office for a long time and you've had a time when you had to leave politics and then come back, as we learned with jerry brown in this state, you have to re-brand yourself. you have to come back and say i'm not the old newt gingrich, i'm somebody new and different. people didn't want him as president before. why would they want him as president now is the question? newt gingrich is like the old suit in your closet that still fits, but not the kind of suit you would wear. if he wants to be president, if he wants to beat barack obama, he has to come out as a new suit, has to be something different. jerry brown did that in politics after being governor, out of office by being the mayor of oakland, then state attorney general, and he re-branded himself, something sort of fresh

and new, over the age of 70. if newt gingrich wants to beat barack obama, he's got to be that new suit. obviously beating barack obama is the name of the game here in the republican party. >> it absolutely s. we did hear from barack obama this morning, taking credit for the jobs numbers. let's hear what he had to say this morning. >> now is the time to step on the gas, not slam on the brakes. unfortunately, too many republicans in congress don't seem to share that same sense of urgency. over the last few months, they have said no to most of these jobs bills. what are his chances of reelection, do you think? >> if you're the incumbent, this is still your race to lose. it's his race to lose. much of this depends on who the republicans nominate against him, first answer to your question. the other thing that depends upon that he has some control over, but not a lot of control over is the jobs growth in this country. the new unemployment numbers are better, but remember, we're heading into the christmas season. you're also going to get a lot of retail jobs. these are short-term jobs that will go away after the holiday

season. the question really, is in many ways, in terms of the economy from barack obama's perspective, can he get some of this toxic housing that we still have on the housing market, upside down in terms of values, banks have not foreclosed because they don't want to lock in the losses and then people not paying those. if he can encourage banks to start lending and getting some of that housing off and selling, that's how you get the multiplier effect in jobs. that's why we're still stagnant. thus far, he hasn't been able to do that. the other answer to your question, it all depends on who the republicans nominate. the two people who have the chance to beat barack obama with independent voters are john huntsman and perhaps mitt romney. and those are also the two people who are least likely to get the nomination. mitt romney, because he still faces an uphill challenge in the south because of his religion. and john huntsman, for the same reason. if republicans want to beat barack obama, they have got to think beyond their own party and think about attracting independents, because there are more democrats than republicans

in this country. >> lot to chew over. joe tuman, thanks for being here. we'll be right back. ,, california should be proud. we were the first to ban smoking on airplanes. the first to have smoke-free bars and restaurants. all while saving over $86 billion in health care costs... and over a million lives. we've done a good job. but even if you were born today, you'd still grow up in a world where tobacco kills more people... than aids, drugs, alcohol, murder and car crashes... combined. we have a lot more work to do.

in college soccer, the stanford women are heading back . -- they saute beautifully and give a really strong onion flavor, which sometimes some recipes is a good thing.

white onions, let's talk about selection and storage. when you buy them, make sure they are nice and white. look how beautiful this is, all the way around. no sprouting whatsoever. and the outside skin has to be nice and clear. that's important. no cracking whatsoever. when you bring them home, simply store them in a cool, dry place. now, white have higher sugar content than the yellow onion, so they only last storage 7 to 10 days at the most. you know what happens? they lose the flavor. white onions, saute with them and you will thank me. i'm tony tantillo, your fresh grocer. always remember to eat fresh and stay healthy. look at this display. it's a beautiful thing! in college soccer, the stanford women are heading back to the national title game and we now know when the warriors will play their first regular season game. kim coyle, with more in sports. . good morning, everyone. mama, there goes that man. mark jackson and the warriors

will open their season on christmas night against the clippers. pac-12 title game, rick neuheisel coaching his final game with ucla. oregon's michael james padded his heisman revenue with 219 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. 49-31, headed to the rose bowl, where they will take on michigan state or wisconsin. k.j. choi still getting used to the courts at sherwood country club. tiger hosts the chevron world challenge, shoots a 67 and will take a 3-shot lead into the weekend. women's soccer, final four, stanford and florida state. the cardinal get on the board and win 3-nil to remain unbeaten and advance to the national title game for the third straight year. stanford will take on duke sunday morning. finally, the raiders have pulled darren mcfadden out of sunday's game against the dolphins, the fifth straight game mcfadden has missed with a sprained food r foot.

that's a look at sports. see you tonight at 5:30. coming up in our next half hour, helping military families. the social media push to help a bay area mom and her son who is heading to afghanistan. and they didn't thank this army veteran returning home with a parade. what his neighbors did to thank him for his service. plus, a huge fire forces temporary evacuations in the north bay overnight. we'll be right back.

[ screaming ]

[ zapping ] there goes dwayne's car. oh, man. there goes dwayne's house. whoa! whoa! and there goes dwayne. man, that thing does not like dwayne. [ male announcer ] state farm's got you covered. nice landing. it was.

for firefighters on scen . strong winds overnight whipped up this fire in the north bay. the other dangerous hazard for firefighters on scene. plus, is he in or out? herman cain sets to clarify the next step in his presidential campaign. and welcome home to california national guard soldiers. the emotional reunion in san mateo. welcome back to weekend early edition. it is 7:30 on december 3. thanks for joining us today. i'm anne mackovic. >> i'm kristy siefken. you may still be experiencing breezy conditions this morning. still seeing gusts up to 20 miles an hour in some locations, sustained winds 17, 18 miles an hour in parts of the north bay. but the good news is, we are in the clear.

taking a look at coit tower, not a cloud in the sky. this will be the similar picture throughout the day, into the afternoon. i'll tell you how long we can enjoy the sunshine, as we take a look at our extended forecast, a little later on in the show. we been talking a lot about these winds over the past few days and they helped fuel this big fire in santa rosa overnight. the fire started at 1:00 this morning on todd road. three acres and a motor home that you're looking at there burned down. downed power lines created a hazard for firefighters, making things a lot more difficult. pg&e had to shut off power to the area so crews could move in. and they had to truck water in to fight this fire. >> we're in a non-hydranted area, so it requires heavy contin against of water from area stations. >> no injuries were reported. no word on the cause of the

fire. >> i will be making an announcement, but nobody's going to get me to make that prematurely. that's all there is to that. herman cain has been dealing with allegations of a 13-year-long extra marital affair, as well as sexual harassment. he's been meeting with his wife to discuss his next steps. the last of the california national guard soldiers are out of iraq and back home in the bay area. over 60 col gears from the 297th medical company arrived yesterday to the national guard armory in san mateo. the group is made up of doctors, nurses, and dentists. check out the happy family members. they spent 10 months in the middle east. one of those soldiers recently returned from the battlefield, a piece of home is getting a whole new look. kiet do shows us the people who donated their time to make one

humble veteran's homecoming a little more special. >> reporter: it is likely the most exquisite '97 volkswagon goff on the road, never looked better after 89,000 miles. it belongs to army specialist anthony gat, who bought it off craigslist while serving in iraq. it was a beater and at $1300, that's what he paid for. over the past four months, a small army of craftsmen, painters and mechanics donated the materials and hundreds of hours of their time. >> oh, my gosh, gorgeous. >> reporter: anderson beal body shop in santa clara helped. >> i have a great respect for soldiers serving. i have the easiest part. >> reporter: the 15-year-old car had a lot of problems.

all together, it was $7000 of work. >> do i have to answer that? >> i don't think i did anything special. i didn't. i didn't, like, do anything. i just did my job. >> reporter: sometimes it takes a whole community just to say thank you. kiet do, cbs 5. a patient privacy breach in contra costa county have prompted notices to be mailed out. those who owed money to the county health department were inadvertently published in a report. the mistake was discovered last week, over a year after the report was published. the report constitutes a breach of patient privacy laws.

patients don't need to respond to the letters they are getting, but can contact the contra costa county health services at 1-800-659-4611. a newellment may soon be named -- livermore sciences and colleagues at a russian institute synthesize the elements. it is now number 116 on the periodic table, and an international chemistry organization has announced it will be called livermoreiu. m, after a five-month public comment period. the 5-year-old son of country singer mindy mccready is now with officials in arkansas. mccready is accused of taking that boy, even though she did not have custody. the singer turned him over to authorities after a judge issued an emergency pickup order. in australia, the ruling party there voted to support gay marriage.

thousands marched in sydney to support that decision. it is a reversal of the country's long-standing position, but the symbolic vote does not make same-sex marriage legal. back to the weather in the bay area, what are we looking at for this weekend? >> no wet weather. we normally expect rain this time of year. we're still seeing breezy conditions outside right now. good news, it will start to taper off. i'll tell you exactly when, when we come back. holiday treats on display in the bay area. but first, she blogged about being fabulous for less. kate riley joins us to talk about a special contest for a local military family. we'll be right back. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

with their lives. and as . 7:39, and survivors of domestic violence say they really need to feel love and support in order to move on with their lives. as sharon chen reports, that is

what they are getting from this week's jefferson award winner. >> you are beautiful inside and out. >> reporter: toshana ross helps build courage in women who survive domestic violence, sexual assault, and homelessness. >> you are worth everything, and if you don't see the importance in yourself, you are important to me. do you hear that? i believe in you. i love you. >> reporter: toshana founded the nonprofit courageous women three years ago to empower women in need. >> for me, it's about being able to save someone's life through my own testimony. >> reporter: toshana herself lived through five years of domestic abuse, including attempted murder. she sunk into a depression and tried to commit suicide more than once. >> there was a point in my life where i couldn't even speak. i was so broken because of what i had endured with the abuse.

>> reporter: she journaled about how friends helped her out of her own depression. today, she gives abuse victims journals. >> i am a survivor. i am courageous, and it's just -- it empowers me a lot to know that i'm not alone. >> that's what brings me joy, to see that they are coming out with a new found confidence, hope. >> hearing the stories, watching the videos is truly impacted me. >> reporter: through courageous women, toshana organizes workshops and empowerment events with more than 60 homeless shelters. >> toshana creates a space for women to meet other women, for women to be blessed by other women, for women to be heroes. >> reporter: once a year, hundreds of women in need get a free shopping and pampering day.

courageous women's executive coordinator says toshana goes all out to make them feel like royalty. >> it's got to be right for her. it can't be half. it's got to be whole. she doesn't care if she spends the last dollar in her pocket. it's got to be right. >> if i leave this world today, nothing else matters but to he know that they now have hope again. >> reporter: for giving women courage, hope surviving adversity, this week's jefferson award in the bay area goes to toshana ross. sharon chen, cbs 5. >> we had toshan on our weekend early edition a few weeks ago. truly a beautiful women. 7:42, and gorgeous weather from our gorgeous weather forecaster this morning. >> it is going to be nice this afternoon, still dealing with breezy conditions this morning. lots of sunshine in store a little later on this afternoon. we'll get to enjoy that into

sunday as well. taking a live look outside, we can see not too much cloud cover. pretty clear conditions as you're stepping outside this morning. and then over the next several days, we will start to see a few changes. high pressure still holding on in the picture, but we will start to see a little bit of dip in temperatures and breezy conditions back into the picture halfway through our work week. let's look outside and see what we're enjoying right now. clear shot here of downtown san francisco. not dealing with fog this morning. seeing that dewpoint steadily decrease throughout the morning. so any of that patchy fog we saw in the early morning hours is out the door for the most part. and inland spots looking good, too. not a cloud in the sky. definitely a great time to get outside and enjoy the outdoor activities. temperatures this morning, not too cold. 53 in vallejo, 49 in oakland. livermore at 52. temperatures warming up nicely into the afternoon, starting clear this morning, continuing to see those breezes and then we'll see those dissipate by the afternoon hours. and mild conditions continuing today and tomorrow.

so satellite and radar showing that we are in the clear, just like you saw in the live shots outside. most of that cloud cover, well out into the pacific. any active weather to the southeast of us right now. but we are still seeing breezes outside, sustained winds of 18 miles an hour in fairfield, 60 in santa cruz. calmer in santa rosa, 5 miles an hour right now. we saw gusty conditions there yesterday, and we continue to see gusty winds in the east bay hills, in effect until 10:00, seeing gusts up to 50 miles an hour there. certainly be careful if you're on the roadways in that area. high pressure holding for the next couple of days. that's going to mean a dry and mild weekend in store. few breezes into the afternoon starting to die down into the evening and certainly a calmer sunday in store than we'll be seeing over the past couple of days. northern california, looking good. 59 for sacramento. chilly at 33, but not seeing any snow this weekend. fresno topping out at 59. same story in the bay, where we see readings in the low to high

60s mountain view, 67. heyward topping out at 66 today. far inland, low 60s. then we squeeze out 63 for pleasantton. up into the north bay, seeing a few low to mid 60-degree readings. the city will make it to 63 today. san leandro topping out at 61. sunday conditions, similar to what we're seeing today. maybe a few degrees cooler. as we make our way into monday, still seeing sunshine and then changes occur tuesday into wednesday, and really wednesday into thursday. that's when we'll see breezy conditions back into the forecast. certainly nothing as strong as what we saw over the past few days. go outside and enjoy the relatively calmer conditions while you still can. back to you, anne. we have been chaght about the men and women who serve overseas. the bay area mother of a soldier is in the running right now to win $20,000 in repairs and home services, a part of the give the gift of good contest.

and kate riley has been instrumental in helping the family. she's joining us live now. thanks for being here today. so this is a contest people can vote online. >> yeah, facebook. tell us about the family and what they stand to gain here. >> i nominated a local family that lives in the north bay, and the husband is in the u.s. army, stationed in fort carson. he is scheduled to go to afghanistan next year for an entire year. their family home is in need of serious home improvement repairs. i've nominated this family to be one of the nine families that are part of this gift of good program sponsored by the home depot. and this would help them improve the whole house? >> absolutely. they need a new furnace, they have roofing issues, they have some leaking tile, need a new fence, lot of repairs they could stand to benefit from this $20,000. and we are taking a look at their home right now. something we would obviously love to see a local family win. if you want to vote for them, you can find links to your blog

through our website, cbssf.com. speaking of your blog, okay, coming up on the holiday season, looking for gifts, don't have a lot of money. give us whatever tips you can on that. >> well, there's a couple things you can do. you can always look to a small do-it-yourself project. people love to have something home made, whether it's something you bake or something you make. i have a few projects online on my blog that will give you some real nice decorative elements that you can bring into people's homes, like a stocking or a basket or anything else you want to create yourself. otherwise, you just want to look for inexpensive, affordable ways to show that you care. and that can be done through a lot of ways, gift card or, like i said, anything home made that's personal. >> my thing, when i think of making something home made, i'm not that crafty and it ends up looking like a 5-year-old made it! >> it doesn't have to. i have a lot of tips and tricks on my website, where you can really create something meaningful and worthwhile. and you don't have to be supercrafty. you can actually do it yourself.

be confident! i started this blog about three years ago. my husband and i had been remodeling spaces for years. i started to write about it. we were involved in our own remodel. and the readership steadily grew. three years ago, it was a hobby, and now it's a business. i write about everything from design, decorating, home improvement and a lot of do-it-yourself projects in between. all of my projects are cataloged online. you can see them there. >> very g when we think of doing blogs full-time, are you able to make a living off it? >> i absolutely am, finally, yeah. it took a long time. what is that process like? >> well, anyone who starts a blog, you do need to start writing about something you love. you cannot start writing just for the thought or the process or idea that you're going to make money. i had a real passion for the subject, so i did start this blog as a hobby. then slowly, but surely, the readership grew, and then you get sponsors, ad networks and those are what pays the bills,

content. >> thanks for joining us this morning. >> thanks for having me. >> you can find kate's blog on cbssf.com. we appreciate you being here. >> thank you. forget about camping in yosemite. the gourmet holiday meal on tap, next in liam's list. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

. it is looking a lot like christmas in san francisco. the presidio community held their tree lighting ceremony this weekend, a tradition dating back more than half a century to the days when the presidio served as an army post. it is now 8 minutes before

8:00. now, where you can find some of the guest ginger bread houses in the bay area and with some sweet treats, here is eye on the bay host liam mayclem. greetings, pleasure seekers. it's the holidays. that means holiday happenings are plenty all over. first up, the palace hotel in san francisco. it is home to the annual ginger bread house contest. there's a lovely trailer. pair up with palace hotel to make houses for charity. you can visit all of these edible homes now at the palace hotel on market street in san francisco. very cool. vote for your favorite. liam mayclem. also in san francisco, one of the world's most impressive ginger bread homes, a star acrox every single year at the fairmont hotel. enormous. the hotel, there's the house, great for the kids. next, a festive time and holiday feast in the company of great

chefs, chef tracy right there, the place to be where chefs gather for a one-of-a kind experience. a recap, palisades hotel ginger bread contest, the fairmont, ginger bread house, and the chef holidays. i'm liam mayclem. enjoy the rest of your weekend. cheers. homes in t . coming up, one more look at our top stories this morning, including this wind-whipped fire that threatened homes overnight in the north bay. we'll be right back. ,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,

g. some . a look at this morning's top stories, winds helped fuel this big fire in santa rosa this morning. nearby homes had to be evacuated temporarily. no injuries were reported. no word yet on the cause. oakland police have detained five persons of interest in that shootout that left a 1-year-old boy in critical condition and injured six others. city leaders have been knocking on doors, trying to drum up leads. this morning, herman cain will announce whether or not he intends to keep running for president. his poll numbers have been plummeting since allegations surfaced of a 13-year affair and sexual harassment. time for a last look at our weather forecast this morning, as we are just about to begin our weekend. >> it's going to be a good one. it will be nice. still breezy outside right now, winds sustained up to 18 miles an hour in parts of the north bay, but we will start to see winds calm down a little bit. certainly what we're seeing today is nothing like what we saw for the past several days, where we saw gusts up to 40, even 50 miles an hour in some places. beautiful shot outside here at

the golden gate. not dealing with any fog or low clouds this morning. as we make our way a little bit later on into the work week, nice conditions as well. sunday, maybe a few degrees cooler than what we're seeing yesterday. then getting those numbers closer to where we should be for early december. clouds start to make their way into the forecast for tuesday and wednesday, and wednesday into thursday, we actually could see breezy conditions back into the picture. not expecting to see as gusty conditions as we did over the past two or three days, but something to think about. and all the more excuse to get outside and enjoy the calmer weather that you're going to see this afternoon. lots of sunshine, pleasant temperatures. get outside and enjoy it! >> no rain in sight! >> actually in some places, we're an inch and a half below where we should be for this time of year. you say you don't want the rain, but we need it, too. it will come. just wait! >> still pretty early in the season. >> it is still early in the season. coming up tomorrow on weekend early edition, san

francisco mayor is chatting it up about one of the hottest teams in the country moving to santa clara. >> i'm having fun with the 49ers, building a good relationship with jed york and we're trying to learn the jim harbaugh slap and handshake. i said, too, the serious part of it is that as long as -- and jed really agreed with me on this. as long as san francisco continues to be a good investment, a good business place, that this will hopefully come along. we'll have more of that interview, plus his strategy to bring more businesses to san francisco. that is on weekend early edition starting at 7:30. thank you for joining us. hope you enjoy your lovely saturday, and our next newscast is coming up here at 5:30 this afternoon. 7:30.

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