those payroll tax cuts. the congressional move that your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. moving forward to save payroll tax cuts. the congressional move that may let lawmakers vote on it today. parts of new zealand bracing for aftershocks today after a pair of big quakes rattled that region. good morning, it's friday, just a day away from christmas eve. i'm grace lee. frank is off today. we have the ladies in. elizabeth is excited. >> yeah. >> it's friday. we're excited it's friday. we like friday even though we're working all weekend long. >> i probably thought today was wednesday. [ laughter ] >> the whole week feels like friday. >> it's going to be a rough day. >> did you notice it was a little colder outside today

than yesterday? >> no. >> who can tell? >> we're always cold, shivering from the inside. there is a freeze warning in effect this morning so it is quite a bit colder across the bay area this morning. in fact, 20 to 25 degrees below what we saw yesterday at this time in some spots. you notice a lot of our temperatures are below freezing especially in portions of the north bay east bay valleys and santa clara valley all under a freeze warning until 9 a.m. so temperatures mostly in the 20s reaching close to the mid- 40s in san francisco. that's definitely our warm spot. coming up we'll look at the seven-day forecast plus a check of how much warmer it's going to get this afternoon because it's going to climb up quite a bit by later on today. so that's weather. and i understand we have a traffic alert along the peninsula. here's. >> roughgianna. sig alert two right lanes blocked southbound 101 near embarcadero. we'll have a live shot coming

up from the area in a few minutes. back to you. >> thank you. a dive alarm fire that ripped through alamo square left dozens homeless. it took three hours and the nearly half the city's firefighters to bring the flames under control yesterday. it was massive. the five-alarm fire at golden gate gate avenue at pierce street at an apartment complex before noon. the cause of the fire is under investigation. huge plumes of smoke could be seen as far as fremont. several units were destroyed. a firefighter had burns to the neck and one person was treated for smoke inhalation. the red cross got the call to help those displaced by the fire. anne makovec has stories of survival. got to be amazing, anne. >> reporter: oh, yeah. if you are stressed out this holiday season, imagine the situation that these people are in right now. i'm here in golden gate avenue by these apartment buildings. you can see the road is still

blocked off here at pierce and several fire trucks on scene in case the fire would break out again. there's always the chance of hotspots in the middle of the buildings. but everything has been pretty calm here overnight. but back to the people again who are now homeless with almost none of their possessions. dozens of people. a temporary shelter has been set up at a nearby church set up by the red cross. some went to hotels, others with friends and family. some firefighters were able to retrieve some of the belongings. some of the residents were able to do that, as well. but most really escaped with just the clothes on their backs and some good samaritans came overnight to help. >> i'm bringing some pizza and some batteries, 12-volt batteries, and accessories to charge people's phones. in this situation, people basically batteries run down. >> we took some old stuff from

our house and we knew that there were a lot of victims who were displaced this evening and thought it was important to help out our community in any way that we can. we got blankets, towels, you know, anythin that, hopefully, a family would need. >> reporter: the red cross says there is no way to properly store or distribute that kind of stuff. the red cross only accepts cash donations. as for what's next for these newly homeless people, the city's good samaritan program comes in hooking them up with some of the city's vacant apartments and if there is a difference in the rent, the city will pay it. back out here live now, golden gate avenue and pierce. some people who i believe are residents are coming back this morning wondering if they will have the chance to go in or have firefighters go in and retrieve some of their belongings. this is going to be a long process to recovery for them. grace? >> hopefully they will be able to find something to save. thank you, anne.

in the meantime, six people are recovering from a bus accident in the east bay bart station. 20 people were on board the tridelta express bus that went out of control. it ended up in a field at the pittsburg-bay point bart station. one witness was just getting on another bus at the station when the crash happened. >> the bus came from behind and she went up on the curb over here. she knocked out one of these lights. after i ran and looked back, i saw the bus go through this wrought-iron fence over here. >> the bus was the only vehicle involved in the accident. the cause remains under investigation. two men say they were hurt in a fight on monday night's football game at candlestick park. the two blame each other for the altercation. the "chronicle" reports the fight happened prior to the 49ers-steelers game. san francisco police have three suspects and they are investigating. the 49ers say there were about 10 fights reported at the game, fewer than at a typical home game. a 23-year-old man is in critical condition this morning after being shot multiple times

while driving through north oakland. the man then lost control of his car yesterday. he crashed into a couple of parked vehicles that caused his own car to burst into flames. now, we have all heard that adage, crime does not pay. but a handful of bay area law enforcement agencies received a generous gift from an unusual benefactor. christin ayers shows how seized assets are now helping fund crime-fighting efforts. reporter: an early christmas gift for a handledful of bay area law enforcement agencies, checks from the federal government ranging from $95,000 to just under half a million. >> it is really a true holiday gift. >> reporter: so where is it coming from in these tough economic times? check out the memo line. his name s&p. shon squier. busted in a federal raid in

2006. court records show agencies 750 plants and 250 pounds of processed marijuana well beyond the city of hayward had approved. >> this is one of the best parts of our job when we can share the ill-gotten gains taken away from criminals with our law enforcement partners. >> reporter: once squier took a plea deal last year, law enforcement split his assets, all $1.8 million with hayward police and south alameda's drug task force getting the biggest piece of the pie. >> serendipity, isn't it. >> reporter: the police chief says the druglord's dough will fund new tasers for 190 of her taser officers and outfit some with high-tech body cameras. >> and absolute blessing, fantastic. >> reporter: one man's drug money now funding crime- fighting. other departments plan to spend the funds on training and overtime. squier, we found out, is now behind bars serving out a 2.5- year federal sentence. in oakland, christin ayers, cbs 5. and it looks like those payroll tax cuts will be

extended for a couple of months after all. the house and senate are set to convene partially this morning to consider a slightly modified version of a bill that was already passed by the senate. house republicans initially vowed to reject the bill and hold out for a full one-year extension but with the tax cut set to expire at the end of the year they didn't want to be blamed for taxes going up in an important election year. >> may not have been politically the smartest thing in the world but let me tell you what, i think our members waged a good fight. >> the plan would also extend long-term unemployment benefits because most congressmen are away from washington for the holidays. the house and senate will be asked to give unanimous consent. the procedure move will allow the measure to pass as long as no one shows up to object in person and president obama has vowed to sign it. two explosions shook the syrian capital today. the blast went off just within minutes of each other in an upscale district.

state tv reports that the state security building in a nearby intelligence building were the targets of those explosions. both military personnel and civilians were killed. the explosions came a day after an advance team of arab league observers arrived in syria to try to resolve the turmoil there. in new zealand, it is shaking today. the city of christchurch isics braking for more aftershocks. there have been two quakes of magnitude 5.8 today plus some smaller quakes, as well. you can see people very shaken up there. about 60 have been treated for minor injuries or emotional difficulties. the city is still recovering from an earthquake that killed 182 people in february. more americans are expected to take long trips for the holidays this season and the american automobile association says 92 million people will take trips of 50 miles or more between today and january 2. that would be an increase of almost 1.5% compared with last

year. 90% of those are expected to go by car. gasbuddy.com says gasoline is more expensive than at this time last year but is less than it was earlier this year. you have to pay at the pump anyway. it's expensive. elizabeth, i hate paying for gas. >> my gaslight is on as we speak as i was driving into work. >> snowflake is on. >> i have blinking lights all over the place. i have to get a service check. i could go on. thank you. if you are about to hit road doing a little holiday travel if you have work you have to get to unfortunately today or maybe even school, my guess some kids might be in school today, it's cold. in fact, we are under freeze warnings now across much of the bay area including in a lot of our north bay counties, here where you see all areas of red, portions of santa clara county, portions of the south bay, your east bay valleys, pretty cold there as well and that freeze warning in effect for the central valley and the delta. so what does that mean?

temperatures mostly in the mid- 20s to low 30s. protect your plants, pets, people and pipes, the ps. mostly in 20s, 30s and a few 40s but colder by 20 to 25 degrees at this time yesterday than we saw today -- at this time today than we saw yesterday. how much warmer we'll get by later on this afternoon and a check. your seven-day forecast is coming up. first gianna has the traffic report. >> good morning. we are going to start along 101 as we monitor this traffic alert in palo alto. we have a live camera standing by at the area. this is southbound 101 near embarcadero. a couple of cars involved in the accident. chp has shut down the two middle lanes as a result. now, because it's still very light during this hour in the morning as far as traffic goes it's not a lot of cars struggling to squeeze by this incident but again, depending how long it stays out there, traffic may get a bit worse as the day progresses. of course, we'll continue to keep you updated and let's

check the bridges this morning. bay bridge off to a good start. no major snags out of the carquinez bridge towards the maze. we'll check 101 in the south bay coming up. right now, back to you. one-stop shopping for bling, power tools and gadgets. coming up next, the unusual place gift givers are going to get their presents. and a plea for compassion after someone stole a south bay woman's wheels. who does that? the challenges in tracking down the thief and her $4,000 wheelchair. plus still to come the holiday hoax crackdown on fake brand names. we have it all. we'll be right back. ,,,,

of a stolen motorized wheelchair. lar chair santa clara police are struggling to find leads in the case of a stolen motorized wheelchair. the $4,000 chair belongs to 60- year-old kathy jo swift who hasn't been able to walk much since a 1972 car accident. it was stolen saturday morning from her apartment complex. she had been keeping a chair under a tarp in the parking lot

because there is no place indoors to store it. the jazzy pride power wheelchair has red trim and high back. anyone with information on its whereabouts is urged to call santa clara police. department stores not the only ones cashing in this holiday season. whether it's the economy or the pawns stars reality shows people are watching shoppers are making their list and taking them to pawn shops. as julie watts shows us, business is booming. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: guitar aficianado doesn't just go to pawn shops to play although no one would mind. he also comes to christmas shop. >> i'm looking. i'm looking. maybe a necklace or a ring. >> reporter: and so are a lot of other holiday shoppers who don't mind buying gifts that are on sale because their previous owners fell on hard times. >> this is a ladies diamond wedding set. >> reporter: they are picking up presents like jewelry, power tools, musical instruments and, of course, electronics. >> everything is up. everything is up.

>> reporter: and don belleville of best collateral says business is up 25% over last year compared to other brick and mortar stars where holiday business is only increased 2%. one reason? the growing trend that has pawn shops looking less like -- well, pawn shops. >> we have invested heavily into the cabinetry, to the lighting, to the paint colors and everything that we do to create an environment to where people who aren't here to get a loan can actually have a retail experience that would be typical of some of the higher end jewelry stores. >> reporter: but unlike those jewelry stores -- >> everything is negotiable. >> reporter: -- belleville says you can pick up this tiffany watch for $1,000, or a refurbished netbook for just $200. most pieces in a pawn shop were given as collateral on a loan which wasn't paid back. other items may have been sold to the store outright for quick cash. but owners say most customers these days don't seem to mind. >> they will even brag about

it. they'll say, look at the deal that i got. >> reporter: but keep in mind, return policies vary widely from shop to shop. and forget about frills like gift wrap. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: on the other hand, might just get a serenade. on the consumerwatch, julie watts, cbs 5. >> all kinds of stuff there. 4:47. coming up next, fake nikes and true religion jeans seized in the federal raid. and why former presidential candidate john edwards wants to postpone his criminal trial. plus, their first christmas as husband and wife the royal tradition followed by prince william and the duchess of cambridge. we are off to a very cold start this morning. very chilly temperatures in fact we have a freeze warning in effect for north bay and east bay valleys. coming up, how much warmer we'll get by later on this afternoon. 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. crackdown fake chanel bags off the table as part of a major

federal crackdown on counterfeit goods. authorities have seized more than $4 million of stuff in southern california. the bust was part of a six-week sting called holiday hoax. the fake merchandise is said to have arrived in ocean shipping containers from china. >> our goal is to push the investigation back overseas where we can identify the source, those responsible for the manufacturing and distribution. what we're talking about is global organized crime generating billions and billions of dollars. >> customs officers say that the most commonly imitated merchandise includes true religion jeans, north face jackets and nike shoes. former presidential candidate john edwards wants to delay his criminal trial over campaign finances. he says that he has been diagnosed with a medical condition that would make it difficult for him to attend the trial. he didn't disclose the condition. edwards is scheduled to go on trial next month. a check of the forecast with elizabeth. it's chilly this morning. >> it is very chilly. in fact, we're breezing in some

spots. we did have a freeze warning in effect this morning so really this is the day to do that whole key thing we always talk about here on the morning show, protect people, plants, pipes, you know the drill. so the freeze warning is in effect for some of the north bay counties. in the east bay valleys, santa clara county, also portions of the central valley. a lot of areas below freezing, definitely colder than yesterday. some spots nearly 25 degrees colder. so you will definitely feel it if you are about to step outside. 27 degrees right now in santa rosa. 24 fairfield. 29 livermore. 39 oakland. 34 redwood city. so once again out the door, we have fog and low clouds out there but cool. that's the big story this morning. and the winds are just not as strong so that's what's keeping us on the colder side. different story by this afternoon the the temperatures go up to at or mostly seasonal but a few degrees above average actually in some places.

but definitely a little colder today than we saw yesterday afternoon. but if you like sunshine, we are still bringing back the sun mixed in with clouds. high pressure remains for the next couple of days three the holiday season. we'll get a check of your seven- day forecast coming up. if you are planning to traveling travel for the holidays this is what it looks like for northern california. eureka 53, 60 redding, 61 sacramento, so partly cloudy skies across most of northern but we are staying dry. here is your forecast. you can see these temperatures are seasonal, maybe slightly above average and a little cooler than we saw yesterday. so mostly in the upper 50s, low 60s across most spots. we are dry until the middle of next week and chance of rain wednesday. that is your weather, for your traffic, here's gianna. >> thank you, elizabeth. some good news to report. we just got word from our photographer standing by near an area in palo alto about this

accident that's just wrapped up and all lanes are now open, this is southbound 101 at embarcadero. two lanes were blocked. this was a major injury accident. all lanes now clear. we'll check with chp as well but things are looking good along 101. just north of there on the southbound side of 101 at hillsdale, we are getting first reports of a new accident possibly blocking lanes involving an overturned vehicle. we are seeing some yellow on your sensors so that indicates some slowing as you work your way through that portion. this is just past 92. checking your bridges, bay bridge no problems, everything looking good into san francisco. and the golden gate bridge checking in problem-free. we'll check the san mateo bridge next. right now back to you. >> thank you. 4:53 now. a woman of georgia is using her knack for holiday decorating to light up her chances of finding a job. the hickocks are known for their annual lights outside their home in the suburbs of atlanta. this year they are trying to find employers. light say she is looking for a

job in human resources. >> i have had people stop when i'm out and telling me about positions that they know of their company or some other company. i have had a lot of linkedin messages and a lot of linkedin views. >> seems to be working. liz says she has heard from people as far away as italy. she wants something in the atlanta area. prince william and kate are preparing to spend their first christmas together as husband and wife but before they celebrate with the royals, the newlyweds are carrying on another holiday tradition. tina kraus reports from london. >> reporter: the duke and duchess of cambridge stopped by a homeless shelter in london. >> hello. >> reporter: they mountain with teenagers who for the first time in a long time were will have a home for the holidays -- for the first time in a long time will have a home for the holidays. they posed with teens and talked with them, trying to make a new start, the teens

are. they took part in a cooking class cutting out cookies and preparing christmas treat. the center point homeless charity was a favorite of the late princess diana. prince william is now trying to help young british people get off the streets. researchers say the homeless are likely to die 30 years earlier than the average brit. >> have a merry christmas, ladies. >> reporter: 25-year-old matt who has been homeless for years and says he has seen the danger firsthand. >> everything from fights to stabbings to drug use to assault, abuse, murders. >> reporter: the future king spent a night on the streets before christmas two years ago to see what it was like for himself. this year his new bride is also joining the cause. will and kate's next scheduled stop for the holidays is at the queen's home in sandringham. queen elizabeth traveled among commuters to prepare for the annual gathering. it will reportedly be one of the biggest christmas

celebrations in decades. tina kraus, cbs news, london. >> a big year for the royals. 4:55 now. millions of americans spared paying more when it comes to their payroll taxes. we'll tell you about that. the congressional move that may let congress take up that measure today. after a fire yesterday in san francisco, dozens of people are newly homeless. take a look at some of their challenges coming up. and san francisco international airport is already busy this morning. if you're headed out for some holiday airplane travel, we'll have some tips on how to ease through tsa. that's coming up. ,,

your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. huge flames from a san francisco fire could be seen as far away as the east bay. plus the bay area road losing a lane and who is saying it's for th best. >> temperatures at or below freezing, freeze warnings in effect this morning. more coming up. >> and traffic troubles along the peninsula. we'll have your friday morning commute in just a few minutes.

good morning, it's friday, december 23rd, we're almost to christmas. i'm grace lee. frank is off today. we begin with fire crews. they are searching for the cause of a huge fire in san francisco and it has left dozens homeless. it took three hours and nearly half the city's firefighting force to bring the flames under control. it started at an apartment on golden gate avenue at pierce street. the wooden structure as well as the wind helped to fuel the flames. those human plumes could be seen as far away as fremont. several units were destroyed. a firefighter suffered burns to the neck. one person was also treated for smoke inhalation. the fire came as a shock for dozens of residents who were left homeless. anne makovec is in san francisco with their stories. anne, the timing couldn't be worse. >> reporter: it is a sad situation, not that it isn't anytime of year. but a couple of days before christmas, this is a very tough