many bargain hunters lined up in the middle of the night. and now we ares at union square where it was a steady flow of shoppers in and out of macies all day long. clothing and home entertainment accessories have been the big sellers there. we do have live team coverage. our jim vargas will take a look at what they are checking out. first tom is live. >> reporter: what a crowd it has been. we're near the corner of powell and geary right in front of macies. that is dead center in front of union square. the foot traffic has not stopped. it has increased all day long. from atlantic to pacific the traffic seems terrific. the bay area black friday began at midnight at the great mall.

and here at union square all day long the beat and the bag counts kept building. no surprise to consumer psychologist kip. >> this year consumers have been geared up to go shopping. they have been pushing retailers to open up earlier. once they start spending it's easier to spend more. >> i say hey everyone is excited and it seems i think things are on the improve. >> reporter: experts say spend willing be up. >> more. definitely more. actually, today we will spend most of it today. more today. >> reporter: why is that? do you feel better about the future? >> yeah, i think so. >> reporter: on the down beat caution still reigns. >> it's not better or worse. definitely more people.

>> reporter: they seem in a better mood. >> yeah. yes, they do. >> i'm very optimistic. maybe this year is not as good next year will be much, much better. >> merry christmas everybody. >> right here what we have here is opportunism. when there appears to be competition and time pressure which is what we have today, consumers tend to spend a little bit more i rationally than they do at other times. >> reporter: coming up at 6:00 two important trends that may very well predict how you will spend and on who. reporting live consumer editor tom vacar. >> thanks, tom. we continue our conference with jim vargas. . >> we are ouide book passage

when a shopper buys a book like this from a small business like this they are helping to employ half of the american work force. the christmas season is a big book buying time of the year. and book passage owner hopes th- wide local business will improve. >> local business recycle 30% more. and certainly a lot more than online retailers that don't send any money back to the community. >> reporter: across the bay at the oakland berkeley line college is lined with locally own shops. there is sales on womens clothing. owner ming yang says she cannot offer what other stores offer. >> become the coming hour i let them know what they need. >> reporter: says every small

business owner has to work harder than the big guys to survive. >> when you are dealing at very big scale if you have a bit of a problem with one item it's a beef. in this environment you really have to take care of your cost of your invenn tear of making sure everything. >> reporter: book passage offers special events and offers from al gore to locals. >> every morning you get up and you have to refight the battle all over again and stress the importance of a local store. >> reporter: here is an interesting number from american express which is one of the power behind the national small bids i business day. more than 60% created in the last decade in the united states was generated by small businesses. >> and even apple got in on the black friday sales. dozens of bargain hunters lined up outside the apple store at

the union square far rare sale. it's a one day shopping event with discounts at apple stores and on on the apple website. some discounts are better than others. the items on sale include the ipod nano, the ipad, the mac book pro. some accessories are on sale as well. stocks ended the holiday week on a down note. market fell at an abbreviated trading session. take a look at the numbers. the dow was down 95 points. nasdaq fell 8.5. president obama received 12 stitches on his lip today he was accidentally hit by a pick up game of basketball. the player elbowed the president during the game with friends and family at fort

mctheir. the president went to the doctors office located on the ground floor. the doctors gave the president a local anesthetic before sewing up his lip. a ski resort is open earlier today. alpine meadows opened up. sierra, tahoe, kirkwood all are already open. the recent store dropped as much as ten feet on some streets. more snow is expected tomorrow. now if you are heading to work from the sierra this holiday weekend, this is what you are in store for. the roads are in pretty good shape right now. we are giving you a live look at what is happening at i-80. it looks good. chain requirements are not currently in effect effect. that could change with more snow in the forecast. cal tran is advising drivers to be ready for winter road conditions. here in the bay area we are about ready to see a shift in

overnight temperatures that will be a welcome change. marcus live. >> no more freeze warnings. no more frost advisories with temperatures up above the freezing point. here a look at the current numbers updated a second ago. santa rosa 49 degrees. fairfield at 48. yesterday fairfield was 38 degrees. san francisco the lower 50s. we can see a string of lower 50s for oakland and hayward. livermore checking in at 39. for tomorrow morning most areas will be in the 40s. we could have a few neighbors up toward napa basically starting out the day in the upper 30s. most areas up above the freezing mark. the entire area you can see that rain cloud out i will break down the timing of the heaviest rain downpours. there is rain in the next 24 hours. i will have much more than that and break down -- moving out of the picture. that is coming up in a few

minutes. the cold temperatures outside remind all of us how warm a coat can be during the holiday season. you can help make a difference. ktvu is helping kick off the holiday drive called # one warm coat. reporters and anchors are spread out across the bay area. collecting coats. and people in the bay area are coming first. i will begin our coverage with heather holmes. >> reporter: yeah. they are coming through big time. my little girl hannah, emily, and serena. they are modeling the coats that have been donated here. this the is first time being here. it's easy. you pull up here the girls get the coats. this is so important for people to make these donations isn't it? >> yes, it's important because people don't have homes and they need to keep warm and they are living on the streets. if you have any coats please come down and donate.

>> reporter: absolutely. we've had a couple of people come by and they donated how many? >> six. >> reporter: can you add it up on the board. we had 622 before you came to us. let's see how many we have. it looks like we've got about 628. so frank and gasia not bad. let's check in with mike to see how things are going. >> reporter: heather, things are going fantasticically. we are on a pile of more than 1600 coats here. and the hits keep on coming. literally. we are blasting the field and we've already set a record. but you know what, there is never enough coats and we would love to invite you down to broadway plaza and we will be here until 8:00-9:00 tonight. you can bring a coat down here any time before january 1st and

we will gladly take your donations. we keep building it up. the boy scouts and brown knees have come by in a big way. we have a mountain of coats. we will send it to david stevenson and see if their total comes close to what we got going on here. >> reporter: mark, i'm standing by here at bay street. shopping center in emeryville. take a look at the girl scouts working behind me. these are girl scouts from oakland and walnut street. these coats. people are bringing them in by the armful. it's expected to go on all evening as well too. these girls are working hard. people are bringing them in. they are very receptive to the drive this year. i'm joined by one of the troop leaders. to talk about how much coats the girls have collected. >> we have about 500 coats. yeah total. the girls are out here bagging the coats up.

making sure they are all bagged and ready for pick up later. >> what sort of folks have been coming out to attribute? >> we've gotten everyone. you know, some new coats, used coats, everyone has come out to day mate. >> thank you very much. we'll head back to you. you can bring coats in. >> thank you. i told you the bay area coming through tonight. if you would like to donate a coat you can find a list for all of our drop offs on our website at ktvu.com. it's a great cause. a new report offers new insight into the tiger attack the the san francisco zoo three years ago. and dave before the results of a wide ranging survey are set to be released. we know which branch of the military is set to be most opposed to the appeal of don't ask don't tell.

a four-car accident snarled traffic along a eastbound freeway just before noon today. this is traffic video of i-80 just past the university avenue accident. you can see here it blocked two lanes of the freeway. the lanes were blocked for more than half an hour. traffic is backed up for more than a mile. no major injuries were reported. a glimpse into the tiger attack when a tiger jumped out of the cage and killed a teenager. the information comes from a tape of the two friends of the victim. ken is live in san francisco with more on this. ken. >> reporter: frank, the tapes were made shortly after the tiger attack here at the san francisco zoo almost three years ago. the tapes as reported by the san francisco examiner give insight to what police asked following the tiger attack but offered little substance to explain why and hao it

happened. christmas day 2007 a 240 tiger named tatiana attacked three young men. wounded brothers paul and cole bee and killing carlos. san francisco police shot and killed the tiger on zoo property and request id the brothers. in tapes obtained by the examiner they questioned if they taunts tiger pap paul responded no. how can we throw nachos a the the tiger. the investigator said no and wanted to understand what would make a tiger want to come after you guys. nothing was thrown into the enclosure. says the question is why the tiger was able to escape. >> the fact whether they had food or didn't have food is really irrelevant to the fact that the tiger jumped out of that grato. >> reporter: the tiger was able

to jump over a 12-foot wall. they watched the tiger slide down into a mote and the investigator asked once he slid downs at the bottom was he running down there to jump up. he responded said he was just walking. the investigator you saw him walking down there. did you have a feeling he was going to jump and get out? the families reached financial settlement with the zoo. this is a story for one family that just does not end. >> every christmas they are reminded what happened that christmas day with every news article that appears with every television show they see or hear. they are reminded and have to live with the loss of their child. >> reporter: we're told the san francisco police will be able to release those tapes on

monday. in san francisco ken. it was a close call for one resident after a fire broke out this morning. the fire started justin before 11 -- just before 11:00 a.m.. when firefighters arrived they found a unit on the first floor engulfed in flames. one person was inside when the fire broke out but got out safely. the cause of the fire is under investigation. the u.s. fish and wildlife union has to help protect the threatened red legged frog. it's the biggest frog in the united states. it's also the type of frog used in the famous frog jumping contest. this year federal officials announce they were designated more than a million and a half acres across the state as sanctuaries for the red-legged frog. >> i think my highlight has been seeing my sports director. who is out in walnut creek.

things are nice out there. >> yeah it's fairly nice. with a bit of a chill in the air. not nearly as cold as last night. there is a storm moving into the state. right now the storm targeting the north coast right around eureka. here the closer inspection of the radar. you notice the rain line beginning to move into mendocino county. especially north of ukiah around fort brag and shelter cove. we broke a few records across the area today. oakland downtown 39 degrees. breaking that old record of 34 degrees. so we had a few high clouds today you. you may have noticed from late to mid afternoon. at least what we were expecting yesterday. more clouds expected overnight. rain returns for your sat and the extended forecast features

a dry pattern for the most part. we are expecting the rain chances to be highest over the next 24 hours. especially up in the north bay. at 7:00 you can see that rain cloud. by 3:00 we'll go with 52 degrees. here's the storm system on the satellite. the high clouds approaching the bay area from the north and south. as far as the rain timing we can see as you take that into the evening hours into tomorrow morning the rain coverage on the evening. this is 7:00 tomorrow morning. we could be talking about moderate rainfall across the bay area. 12:00 a few breaks into the cloud. still occasional showers and still the slight chance of an isolated thunderstorm. coming up we will break down the full winter storm warning that is expected for the sierra. >> we'll see you then. a crew including two

american astronauts returned today. on board the russian spacecraft. nasa astronauts doug enchain that have been conducting scientific research on board the space station. before touching down they dined on a thanks giving meal of dehydrated turkey. fighting words from north korea tonight. what his military leader says will push his country to the brink of work with south korea. a bay area family mourning the death tonight of a marine that lost his life in afghanistan. more on his service. an incredible story of survival tonight. four teenage boys lost at sea with no food. how they survived and how they were rescued. q

the commander of u.s. forces in south korea walter sharp toured the damage done by a north korean attack. any maneuvers by the south or the united states will put the neighboring countries on the brink of war. scheduled for this weekend will go on as planned despite the warning. the body of a san jose marine is scheduled today. the pentagon says 19-year-old lance corporal was killed wednesday during a combat operation in afghanistan.

the bay area native attended piedmont hill high. his parents left yesterday for dover air force base to retrieve their sons body. a survey of 700 military members of appealing the don't ask don't tell policy come from the marines. ahead of the survey plan release the exact numbers remain under wraps but the post report the expect for the marines a majority of military members have no strong objectives to allowing gay members to serve in the military. the u.s. senate is considering repealing the policy next month. hope almost feed for three teenage boys lost at sea. a captain of a fishing boat found the three boys.

the fishier man spotted the boys frantically waving their arms. it was supposed to be a routine short trip between two islands when the boys set out in october but they drifted off course and got lost. they apparently survived for those 50 days by drinking rainwater and eating a seagal and fish they were able to catch along with coconuts they happen to have in their boat. >> it's a miracle. the whole village the whole village it was so excited and cried and they chanted songs and hugging each other. >> the boys family held memorial services for them two weeks ago and now in a state of joy and disbelief. despite being dehydrated and sun burnt all three are said to be in fair health. you see them every year. the familiar red petals.

>> that's right. this year the salvation army is hoping that new technology will help them cash in on the time. the changing fate of the kettle drive. one warm coat is a raging success as i stand on a mountain of coats in walnut creek. when we come back we'll tell you how you can contribute and help someone out in this ever cold winter. coming back with more after this.

san francisco police are trying tonight to unravel a mystery surrounding the brutal killing of a 23-year-old woman near japantown. that killing was caught on

surveillance tape. somebody that has seen that tape tells us after shooting the woman several times suspect left and then came back. katie is live in san francisco tonight. patti. >> reporter: frank, surveillance cameras caught everything leading up to a woman dies here at this doorstep. she was identified this afternoon by the san francisco medical examiners officer as medena abdul kabar. the night manager says the victim does not live here but was likely visiting a friend in the building when she was targeted in a slaying so brutal that neighbors say they are numb with violence. the victim an african american woman in her 20s was shot to death in the parking lot. the lot was quarantined off with yell toe tape. >> they said don't cross the line. i said i was a night manager and we have video tape.

>> reporter: they say they installed 22 video cams each month and he sat and watched it. >> it was crazy. he shoots her like four times and runs away. she was still moving. and so he came back. he came back. and he shot her three more times. >> reporter: he says he could tell the shooter was male but nothing more. meantime residents are stunned by the horrific nature of this shooting. >> she was laying there and she was bled. eve never seen so much blood. i reached down and checked her neck to see if there was a pulse and there wasn't any. >> reporter: members of the victims family tell us they can't imagine why anyone would harm such a sweet young woman. >> the police will work it out. >> reporter: san francisco police are investigating this case. and ktvu will be speaking with their chief of police about it

in the next hour. reporting live in san francisco. this year the salvation army is trying something new with its famous red kettles. they have been given a facelift to make them more high-tech. janette is live. >> reporter: frank, some of the new thinks are donating by text message or by a swipe of the credit card. all in addition to the traditional red kettle and putting in your pocket change. it's the sound of the season and steven spencer is taking his volunteer work seriously ringing and singing. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ >> reporter: spencer is one of thousanding of bell ringers today launching the red kettle drive. >> for me it's important to know we are doing something important. >> reporter: slipping spare change and cash into the kettle. >> they take the money and they

use it for good reasons. >> reporter: and the salvation army is staying in tune with the times. this year some kettles will feature credit card machines. >> i think that is a great idea. a lot of people don't carry cash. >> we found out in test cities the average gift was $2 that went into the kettle with the credit card machine it's actually $15. >> reporter: salvation army major richard larson said for the first time people can donate by text message which adds a $10 donation to the phone bill. money that is needed. >> in the last three years it's almost doubled. the need this year is great. >> reporter: whether donations come in by card or time honored cash it's all about helping others this holiday season. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ♪ ♪ soon the bells will stop

>> reporter: the salvation army says the kettle drive raised $400,000 in the greater bay area last year and they hope to do just as well this year. reporting live in san jose tonight jana katsuyama. a south bay organization that has raised thousands of dollars will be forced to close its door doors. they will close by the end of the year. the centers director says the loss of corporate sponsorship is too much to overcome. they are known for its walk for aids events which draws hundreds of participates every year. an early morning fire in san francisco could have been a lot worse if not for a good samaritan. he saw a homeless man throw a burning magazine into a

building. that's when he noticed the flames getting big perp >> another homeless guy confronted him because the homeless guy lives right behind the building here. and you know threw some water on it but it still didn't go out. that's when i went across the street to the security guard and told him to call the police and fire department. >> firefighters were able to put out the fire quickly with minimal damage to the building. police have taken a suspect into custody. when it's cold outside most of us go to the closet and pull out a jacket. there are a lot of people out there including kids that don't have a jacket. ktvu is kicking off its holiday drive called one warm coat. reporters and anchors are spread out all across location in the bay area. we want to check in with our crews. beginning with david stevenson. >> reporter: i'm standing at the bay street shopping center. take a look at all the bags

that haven't gathered here. the people that have been gathering the bags i'm joined by two girl scout troops out at oakland and walnut street. and 30627 out of walnut creek. one of them is going to tell me what it has been like about. tell me about how many coats you have collected. >> we have 538. >> reporter: what is it like being out here today? you had the day puff. >> it's been really fun. we give people these coats for the needy to need them. >> reporter: how long are you going to be out here tonight? >> since 6:00. >> reporter: they will be out here until 6:30. there is time to contribute coats. let's join my colleague mark ibanez. >> reporter: thank you so much, david. it is an overwelling suck -- it is an overwhelming success at broadway plaza. i'm sitting on a mountain of

coats. we shattered last years record. we're hoping to get t2 -- we're hoping to get 2,000. i am working with the girl scouts that have been collecting coats. they have a message for the bay area. what is it? >> bring warm coats. >> reporter: bring warm coats. bring plenty of them. we will be here at broadway plaza until 7:00. we are more than 1,700 coats we want to make it to 2,000. it keeps going. the giving keeps going and lloyd can you top this? >> reporter: mark, we're going to try. there is still some time left. i'm here with santana row in san jose the temperatures are starting to drop. that's what this is all about to get some warm clothing for the needy. i want to show you the generosity of some people. these two coats here i will

show are actually brand new coats. someone went out and purchased these coats on the busiest shopping day of the year. they took time to remember the needy and brought in some brand new coats to give to the one warm coat drive. let me look at the tote board here. girls, what are we up to right now? >> 827. >> reporter: 827 coats and you know, i want to challenge people out there to come down to santana road. this is san jose the largest city in the bay area. surely we can at least get up to 1,000 coats. it runs until 6:00-6:30. one thing to let you know even though the drive today ends at 6:30, it will continue on to the rest of the next month until the first of the year. there will be barrels here at santana row. there will be barrels at emeryville and walnut creek. come on down.

one warm coat. back to you. >> great stuff. if you want to donate a coat you can find a list for all of our drop off spot osen our website ktvu.com. bart police are looking for more suspects and victims at a series of robberies. police have arrested four men. three of the men threatened to beat a man during an attempted robbery. the other suspect robbed four people at the montgomery station. bart officers were out this morning reminding passengers to stay alert. they ran longer transit today to make it more convenient. officers are taking time to keep themselves and their property safe. >> at least make people more aware. you know, there is not always a bart officer on the actual train where you are. so if they are not there they can't help you, but if you are more aware you can help yourself. >> and police say you should be aware of your surroundings at

all time and avoid shopping alone at night. don't buy more than you can carry. some hewn knee workers took their concerns to city hall today. coming up why the protestors i guess -- there they are. why they are say they are concerned about their paycheck. >> and certainly we are used to long lines at the dmv. there is a delay of getting your license in the mail. the high-tech reason behind the slow down.

a small group of muni workers voiced their frustrations this morning. they are is up set about proposed contracts and what was a political l motivating firing of a muni worker that posted campaign signing on his bus. it may take longer to get a driver's license. it's two weeks behind of processing license applications across the state. the department spokesperson is blaming the delay on new enhanced security features. the dmv says it received 38,000 applications every day. the california public utility

commissions put pg&e rate hikes january 1st on hold. following december pipeline explosion they say they want to assess where weather the rate hike. they say that determination will not likely be made by the new year adding a rate hike could be added. one of oakland's landmarks may not survive another budget cut. a historic home that belonged to one of the oldest settlers may soon have to close their doors. the city has slashed funding for the historic home by 95%. a new study may put to rest any concerns over the exposures to mercury when eating fish. the health benefits of eating fish outweigh any harm caused by mercury. those with the higher levels of

mercuries are in their diet did not have a higher heart risk. people consume two servings of fish a week. coming up here a plan to display a part of a nuclear submarine hit a snag. also. a dratmatic and first of its kind procedure that may lead to a revolution in spine surgery. that story still ahead. our next storm is racing toward the bay area. coming up the rainfall protections over the next 24 hours and when a winter storm warning begins for the sierra.

back and neck pain is one of the most common ailments for adults in the united states. now a promising procedure could change that. it's called spinal fusion reversal. john explains how it works. >> reporter: bobby joe was just 29 -- was just 29 a correctional officer. >> the pain was so bad i decided to give up any kind of activities. >> reporter: she opted for surgery fusing three neck bones. doctors know that can transfer stress. >> the disks start to deteriorate. they have to take up the slack of the fusion lost. >> reporter: nine years later her neck deteriorated. she had blinding headaches.

>> my quality of life was really quite awful. >> reporter: because of her growing pain and mobility problems she agreed with dr. light to become the first person ever to have spinal fusion reversal. dr. light surgically split off the top third of her vertebrae to see if he can insert a disk. >> there are people that feel that was too risky a procedure. >> reporter: he bones would have to be strong enough, spaced just right and at the correct angle. this x-ray shows her new disk. she says with it she's pain free. off medications for the first time in a decade. >> i feel good. i hope i can challenge myself to do some things that i most people give up on. but this is really given me an opportunity to be happy and healthy. >> there are thousands and thousands of people that this

potentially can benefit. >> reporter: ramirez is able to run again. a high school basketball and softball coach. she says this ground breaking operation has her back on track. coming up next at 6:00 what we are learning tonight about a bay area marine that was killed in combat in afghanistan. plus another person hit and killed. whether efforts to cut down on the numbers of trains or pedestrian accidents are working. three years ago a tiger jumped out of its cage and killed a teenager. whats two people with the victim said to police. and the winning lottery ticket worth $8 million that was bought here in the bay area. a plan to display part of a nuclear submarine has hit an unexpected snag. the historic park foundation was going to display a 60-ton

section add the park. the plan has to be approved by the master developer. now the project is on hold. it now appears the sub which launched in 1964 and retired in 1994 won't be on display in the park. home heaters have been running over break is coming. >> reporter: a bit of a break. at least we will all be above the freezing marks. temperatures in the 40s. right now on live storm tracker 2 you can see the rain showers up along the north coast. and already rain for eureka, cent city, this rain line will be approaching the bay area. you can see a few rain showers closer to will lets closing in on sonoma county. you can see it showing up nicely with that cold front developing in the pacific. here is the track at least for

tomorrow for your saturday cool rain and cold enough. we are talking about snow levels down to 2100. the rainfall will be moving in first thing tomorrow morning and the cold instability here that could lead to a chance of a few thunderstorms especially late tomorrow afternoon and into the evening hours. as we take into this sunday the rain clouds move out of town. partly sunny skies and clearing conditions throughout the afternoon hours. rain speeds pick up. so increasing winds for your sunday. at least in the short-term rainfall expectations a quarter of an inch could be brushing three quarters of an inch for the coastal hills. winds gusting 20-30 miles an hour. we do not have any wind advisories. the sierra will pick up snow. 4:00 saturday. lasting until 4:00 sunday. snowfall will be on the order of 5-15 inches. they will likely have control on 80 and also into 50 as we

head into saturday. here in the bay area for tomorrow at least the morning hours mostly cloudy skies. rain likely. temperatures 42-47 degrees. and then into the afternoon hours occasional showers. we could have a few sunny breaks as well. temperatures mainly in the low to mid 50s. here's a look at the numbers. santa rosa 52. san francisco lower 50s. san jose in the mid 50s. and half-moon bay 53 degrees. here's a look at ahead. by sunday we gradually scale back on the coverage at least with the clouds. another round of cold mornings. mobbed morning and tuesday morning. low 30s to lower 40s and maybe a few shower chances by wednesday into thursday. if we are planning outdoor it will be clearly sunday. busy shopping season will be under way today.

it's also a busy season for cherries. how you can help feed thousands of local residents in need of a hot meal.

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the holiday season a busy time for the bay area chirr-- charities. st. anthonys church was back

feeding thousands of people today. st. anthony along with glide memorial church feed the homeless and needy every day of the year. because of the big push yesterday they are running a little short on supplies. >> it's wonderful this time of the year people are really thinking about it around thanksgiving and christmas they are thinking about giving back. that need is here at st. anthony year round. >> that works out to an average of 3,000 meals at st. anthony and san francisco every day all free of charge and they say donations make that possible. >> we're serving mar and more people every day. we are serving more. this is our 60s anniversary of -- this is our 60th anniversary. >> the church says it has seen a 15% increase in the number of meals it serves three years ago. they also seen an increase of

volunteers with 10,000 people working together to help feed the hungry.

shoppers spend time to save money this black friday. the two trends many consumers are following this holiday season. the ultimate sacrifice. the south bay marine that chose to serve his country and a devastating end to a short life. good evening. i'm gm gm in. >> and i'm frank summerville. police reason the peninsula are investigating how a man was hit and killed by a cal train this morning. this was after changes were made to improve pedestrian safety. john is live. >> reporter: frank, this is cal train station a half mile from the spot where someone died on the tracks this morning. before this death, these track had pedestrians concerns. at