to shutter nearly 100 store. your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. a blow to the retail world. sears closing hundreds of stores. what's behind it? >> the race for iowa heating up. where the republicans stand a week before the caucuses. good morning, it is tuesday, december 27. couple of days after the big day. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm grace lee. a lot of people returning to work. a lot of people still off. except for us. [ laughter ] >> we're here straight on through. >> frank had last week off. >> we're here for the rest of time. >> it was lovely but it wasn't restful. so i can see today. that's good. new contacts yesterday. >> if you need help waking up yesterday, it's chilly.

but actually these temperatures while they remain cool these are milder than we have seen the past few days. so we have one temperature out there in the 20s, fairfield clear start there right now 29 degrees. everywhere else mostly cloudy skies, 30s an 40s. we have patchy fog out there so be careful commuting heading back to work today. for more, let's check in with gianna. >> we have roadwork in full swing along 880. also an accident reported along 101 in gilroy. possibly a fatal. so we'll have more details on that coming up. >> thank you. 4:31. two of america's biggest names in retailing are closing dozens of stores. sears and kmart say slow sales prompting the move. anne makovec in san mateo with the money problems those big chains are now facing. >> reporter: this is after we heard good news for the

christmas shopping season for retailers in general. we don't know if this is going to be one of the stores that's closing in san mateo. they haven't made those decisions yet or at least not made those decisions public but we know that between 100 and 120 sears and k marts nation white will be closing. there is though a total of 4,000 of these stores in the u.s. and canada. all because of dismal earnings for the last quarter, which is normally pretty good, christmas shopping season. kmart was down 4.4% in the quarter. sears was down 6.0% for a total negative growth of 5.2%. the company is blaming kmart's losses on fewer sales in electronics, clothes and lower layaway numbers. sears losses are blamed on electronic and home appliance sales, both being down. so the sears corporation says it is going to focus on better

numbers, better price points and better promotions. it is going to be allowed to stay open. we don't know if the one i'm standing is going to be one of those that closes. we are waiting for that big announcement from sears. >> thank you, anne makovec live for us in san mateo. it is 4:33. lucky supermarkets is increasing its public relations effort in the wake of a security breach. it was last month that you might remember the chain discovered skimmers rigged to atm and credit card readers at two dozen bay area stores. lucky took out full-page ads in several newspapers yesterday assuring customers that the problem is solved. but they do recommend that you keep a close eye on your bank statement. the breach was limited to the store's self-checkout stands not the ones that are operated by cashiers. >> i just go to the regular checkout stand. i don't check myself out anymore. >> lucky says nearly 1,000 customers have reported losses or attempts to take money from their accounts. the company is directing

customers to its website for updates as well as other information. it is 4:33 now. antioch police say it was apparently a tragic accident that killed a 2-year-old boy, a child run over by a vehicle backing up out of a driveway on pembroke court yesterday afternoon. the "contra costa times" reports malcolm norris fell before he was struck. the driver was a relative of that young boy. a man is in stable condition after a late-night shooting in oakland near 39th avenue and international boulevard. nobody is in custody. pacific caring and san francisco bay are having heart problems apparently all blamed on the cosco busan oil spill. heart defects and other problems are showing up. commercial herron is the only species fished in the bay. a woman died in a fire

yesterday. she was killed by smoke inhalation in yesterday morning's fire two dogs also found dead in the home on broadmoor boulevard. cause is under investigation. and a candlelight vigil is planned this evening to remember a police officer shot to death in san francisco five years ago. officer bryan tuvera was 28 years old when he was gunned down while chasing a suspect in december of 2006. there is a family in morgan hill and they are just trying to find the dog that was taken by burglars last week. a 3-year-old chihauhau terrier was dognapped along with wrapped presents under the tree. the family says that nearly $1,000 worth of gifts were stolen. friends and neighbors had chipped in to replace the gifts but the family says they just want their dock, sharkey, back. >> you know, we don't care about the presents. we don't -- that's stuff that can be replaced. you know? but the dog, that's a family member. >> the family has posted photos

of the dog and are checking nearby shelters every day. oddly, though, the thieves left expensive electronics and jewelry untouched. so far, there have been no arrests. it is the final push for candidates. one week until the iowa caucuses begins the field that could narrow the race. we record it >> reporter: rick santorum was the only republican presidential candidate campaigning in iowa monday spending part of the day pheasant hunting but the real work intensifies today. >> i'm going to do something for government, make it simpler, smaller and smarter. >> reporter: mitt romney released an ad as he tries to sway undecided voters. a week to go, and a three-way race between romney, newt gingrich and ron paul. rick perry is trying to improve

his position. he will launch a bus tour today and release a fresh ad in iowa. >> if washington is the problem, why trust a congressman to fix it? >> paul at the top of many polls in iowa won't be campaigning there today. his next event is scheduled for tomorrow. gingrich and michele bachmann will continue bus tours. historic victory here doesn't mean a republican nomination but it forces some candidates to drop out possibly thinning the field for the new hampshire primary. >> rick santorum spent the most time of any candidate in iowa but polls still show him running considerably behind the top candidates. elizabeth, let's check the weather today. >> we're relatively mild. we don't have any freeze warnings at least. temperatures in the 30s and 40s in the bay area. we are staying dry today. you notice that one 29 in

fairfield, that's our cold spot. we're also dealing with patchy fog, low clouds so that's what you're waking up to. and it's the reason because of this high pressure system. so the extra clouds today you're going to see them lingering on in the afternoon with a mix of sunshine. you will notice this low staying mostly to the north of us so we have been talking about rain shower possibilities for wednesday. it looks like that's going to stay north of the bay area. so we are going to stay dry through the middle of the week. 57 the expected high in concord, 54 san rafael and 58 in santa rosa. so once again looking over the next several days, kind of a mix of sun and clouds today and then wednesday, again we pulled that chance of rain showers north of the golden gate. thursday partly cloudy skies, we are still expecting a slight chance of rain on friday. again, this looks like it's going to be mainly in the north bay. we're continuing to watch that. otherwise, dry on saturday for your new year's eve. if you have any plans to hit the town, should be dry inland,

bay and coast and a few more clouds o -- a few more clouds on monday. in traffic, we have an accident through gilroy. chp has been on scene for quite some time northbound 101. it was a fatal accident. they are clearing it. everything is off to the right side of the road at masten. east 80 at highway 29, accident on the right side of the road. bay bridge no problem. roadwork on the eastbound side later on between skyway to treasure island until 2 p.m. so various lanes blocked there. we'll check the south bay. back to you. >> thank you. christmas is barely over but already it's almost time to toss that tree. >> my wife leaves it up until february. today christmas trees will go into a giant wood chipper in front of san francisco city hall for the annual chipping ceremony they held there. next week curbside tree collection gets going so if you

toss that tree to the curb may sure you put it next to your trash bin on a regularly scheduled garbage pickup day. the trees will be collected from january 3 to 7 and again from the 9th to the 13th. >> sad. >> i know. >> we keep ours up until february. >> by the time i pull it down it has no needles. forget spending time with the family. how many americans were shopping online on christmas day? >> plus, it turned into a retail nightmare. what sparked a massive melee at the mall of america in minnesota. >> new details on last week's deadly bomb blast in iraq. who is claiming responsibility for attacks. ♪

secondhand smoke affects everyone's health. it's not just irritating. it can cause heart disease and even death. speak up about secondhand smoke. your health and the health of your family depend on it.

makes it easy for anne to view her finances from anywhere. like gate d12 for the next three hours. citibank for ipad. easier banking. standard at citibank. is as easy as... making breakfast. omelet? sure. scrambled eggs. [ male announcer ] actually, it's easier. citi financial tools. easier banking. standard at citibank. responsiblity for a wave of bombings in baghdad. 69 peoe cks last an al qaeda front group in iraq claims responsibility for a wave of bombings in baghdad. 59 people died in the attack

last thursday which started markets, grocery stores, cafes and government buildings. a group called the islamic state of iraq says the assaults were meant to show support for sunnis in prison and in memory of those who were executed. the man suspected of shooting a soldier in san bernardino is now in police custody. 22-year-old christopher sullivan was shot last friday. 19-year-old rubin ray gerardo turned himself in yesterday. he was a guest at sullivan's homecoming party when he shot him twice. sullivan is paralyzed from the neck down. he had received a purple heart last year after being injured in a suicide bomb attack in afghanistan. a babysitter is due in court today accused of killing a fort wayne, indiana girl. the suspect is a neighbor of 9- year-old alana lemon. she disappeared from the suspect's home friday morning. the girl's body is found but police are withholding details of her death. the suspect was watching the two girls and her sister because the mother was sick. a news conference is

scheduled today about the christmas morning fire that killed three children and their grandparents in connecticut. crews demolished the heavily damaged home yesterday and that indicates that investigators have probably found the cause of the fire. the home was under renovation when it burned. the home's owner and contractor were the only survivors. another ugly scene repeated this holiday season bad behavior at shopping centers. one of the latest was at the mall of america. a video of the brawl in bloomington, minnesota. fisticuffs happened yesterday afternoon involving about 50 people in the food court. >> some people are running, some people just staying, people are like confronting each other like in the middle, people just walking and like nobody was even around. they were just going at it. >> after the original melee, there were other incidents scattered throughout the massive shopping center. mall security says there was no sign of any weapons though.

britain's prince philip left the hospital today after treatment for a blocked coronary artery. the 90-year-old husband of queen elizabeth spent four nights in the hospital after having a successful coronary stent procedure. for the first time in years, he missed the royal family's traditional christmas festivities. and he may have to scale back upcoming travel plans. coming up, hope on the horizon. what's leading experts on saying -- what leading experts are saying, rather, about our economic prospects in the new year. >> soon you may be able to put your money where your vote is. coming up, how betting on the next u.s. president could become legal. >> ticket sales don't life. the home is back in home theater. ticket sales don't lie. what's keeping people from going to the movies. some folks may be heading back to work today. temperatures out the door in the 30s and 40s. what we're dealing with as well are low clouds and fog. will we see rain in our seven- day forecast? we'll tell you after the break. ]?2ñ#ñeñhz

stock markets in 2011. stocks rallied last week on optimist the next four days will determine the direction of the stock market in 2011. stocks rallied last week after optimistic reports will the economy and the new year. wall street experts have looking for stock prices to gain more than 10% next year. the dow is you have 6% so far this year -- the dow is up 6%, nasdaq down 1%. a survey finds leading economists expect unemployment to remain at 8% through 2012 but feel the economy will grow faster in the new year than in 2011 but warn that unforeseen global events could slow the u.s. economy. americans were shopping on christmas. a study shows online shopping on christmas day was up more than 16% over last year. 16%! and even more mind-boggling, the dollar amount of performs

made using mobile devices was up 173%. what happened to family time? according to the "new york times," north american movie ticket sales are $500 million less than last year a 4.5% drop. ticket prices run 1%. one of the major culprits appears to be videogames. >> he doesn't care about buying movies. it all goes to videogames. >> another reason, a 3-d backlash. a lot of people are not willing to pay the extra $3 to $5 to go 3-d. >> that's it. put down the tablets. we're hanging outgoing to the movies. >> when was the last time you went to a movie? >> it's been a while. >> i haven't gone to one in moons and we have one across the street. >> how about you, miss wenger. >> beauty and beast 3-d, gianna

and i already have plans. >> exciting life. >> are you knocking disney or me, which one? [ laughter ] if you are heading out, temperatures mostly in the 30s and 40s. a little milder than in the past couple of days so we're finding it hard to find any temperatures below freezing. there's maybe one out there right now but temperatures not too bad. we have clouds and low fog especially in the north bay valleys visibility may be an issue. we're hopping the fog clears earlier than yesterday. we had a cloudy early afternoon yesterday across much of the bay. we are expecting partly cloudy skies, some sun to return by this afternoon and temperatures mostly in the 50s. we may squeeze out a 60 or two in some spots inland but for the most part temperatures are seasonable. high pressure keeping us dry. we have fog in the morning. but that ridge remains in place. you will notice this low pressure system. it's remaining just to the north of the bay area.

so we were anticipating rain showers, light sprinkles mostly in the north bay on wednesday. that's no longer the case. we have pulled that out of our forecast. so for northern california for today, highs mostly in the 40s. 60 in redding. 48 the high in lake tahoe and 57 towards sacramento. otherwise closer to home across the bay area, once again mostly in the 50s. 59 in san jose, 58 in milpitas. and checking some east bay numbers now, there's that 60. 60 degrees in pleasanton is your forecasted high. 57 in walnut creek and 57 in fairfield. north bay numbers not too bad. typical for this time of year. 56 in petaluma. 58 santa rosa and looks like 56 degrees in alameda. dry tad and dry on wednesday. chance of sprinkles, inland

locations you can see light showers. new year's eve is dry until clouds roll in on monday. so once again happy new year 2012. partly cloudy skies on saturday, overnight lows in the upper 30s to upper 40s. that is your weather, for your traffic, i guess people are heading back to work today, right? here's gianna. >> there's a couple of more cars than the last few weeks. roadwork wrapping up on 880. so that's good news. easy drive north 880 towards the maze. southbound more volume. but heading towards hayward no major snags through there. bay bridge toll plaza some slight delays there in the cash labels. but overall a nice ride as you hit the pay gates. no delays into san francisco. lower deck problems clear. later on roadwork east 80 from the skyway to treasure island will be blocked until 2 p.m.

quiet on the golden gate bridge. overall clear out of marin county. nice ride here into san francisco. slide delays westbound 4 just around loveridge but overall traffic clear along highway 4 off the antioch bridge. on the flip side eastbound later on today there is roadwork scheduled until 1:00 ease bown 4 to bail to railroad. -- eastbound 4 from bail to railroad eastbound closed this afternoon. good speeds on 101. no troubles on 880. northbound 280 through downtown san jose nice through there. live look at conditions through 880/237. just a few cars making that connector there. but so far, so good. and mass transit is right on time no delays for bart, ace, muni and caltrain and your ferries. remember kcbs once you do hit the roads. they're our radio partners. and you can find them at 740-am and 106.9-fm. that's a look at your drive.

back to you guys. >> it has been kind of empty but i like it. >> me, too. thank you. more than 1600 people who have sued the government claiming that the smoke and dust at ground zero made them sick are now facing a tough decision. they have until january 2 to decide if they want to drop their lawsuits so they can qualify for federal assistance. to be considered for aid, applicants must give up their right to sue over 9/11 health problems forever. however, they won't know for months how much money they will eventually receive from the government program. here's a story for you. 4:54. you may soon be able to wage on a mythical candidate through a stock exchange. the north american derivatives exchange has filed an application with federal regulators to offer trading on political events. nadex says it would be simple floor the way a farmer might trade for the future price of wheat or corn. >> whether you're talking tax

policy or healthcare costs or energy policy, elections matter and can have a really significant economic impact on people so we think that these types of contracts fit squarely within the traditional functions performed by futures exchange. >> at least one of the five commissioners opposed the proposal. federal law prohibits contracts on certainly things including political assassination. same-sex spouses are paying higher taxes than married men and women. the difference it would be as much as $6,000 a year. the federal government does not recognize gay marriage so they can't combine income and deductions to take advantage of the lower tax rates. coming up, iowa caucus just a week away. what the candidates are doing

to gain support. what lucky stores are dealing to keep personal data private all coming up. some major retailers appear to have missed out on these positive holiday sales numbers we have been seeing over the past couple of months. we'll see you what stores we're talking about and how bad it is. coming up. a portion of the golden gate bridge will be shutting down very soon. we'll tell you where it's going to occur and why some residents are frustrated by the news. that story coming up. that cleaner's not gonna cut it. nd you need lime-a-way. it's 4 times more effective at removing limescale than the leading bathroom cleaner. lime-a-way is specially formulated to conquer hard water stains. for lime, calcium and rust... lime-a-way is a must.

why your local k-mart or ses store coul your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. a major announcement by a retail giant. why your local kmart or sears store could close. walkway worries. major changes coming to the golden gate bridge. why it could pit pedestrians against bicyclists. and temperatures out the door right now mostly in the 30s and 40s. seasonal but will resee rain in the seven-day forecast? we'll let you know coming up. a few more cars on the roads. a complete look at traffic coming up in just a few minutes. good morning. it's tuesday, december 27. if you're up nice and early,

good for you. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm grace lee. it is early. it's not even 5 a.m. yet. but this was apparently the last holiday shopping season for dozens of sears and kmart stores. the bottom line is the bottom line. it didn't make sense. anne makovec is in san mateo doing a little number crunching and has the latest. >> reporter: it's too bad to hear this report because everybody was feeling pretty encourage with the numbered we have been seeing for the holiday shopping season. everything looked to be up. kmart and sears stores, though, did not see that kind of positive growth. here at a kmart in san mateo, we don't know whether or not this was one. stores that will be closing because the sears corporation hasn't made the decision yet but they said between 100 and 120 sears and kmart stores nationwide will be closing. there is a total of 4,000 stores between the u.s. and canada. they are citing dismal earnings for the