well, good morning to you. welcome to "mornings on 2." i'm dave clark. >> good morning. i'm pam cook. >> tori campbell has the day o ff. >> we've been listening to steve all morning. >> steve joins us now to tell us with more about what we can expect today. >> a little different pat -- pattern. more showery, possibility of hail again under cloudy skies. but the big cloud ban is moving towards central and southern california. it's kind of taking on another tilt. the cold air moves in towards the north bay and that's where the fine of -- line of shower activity is starting to form. so that cold, unstable air means just about everything. marin, napa, sonoma, up to lake mendocino, that's a very cold pattern. the weekend rain --

>> and there's more on the way. we'll get to that later. let's get to the news. thank you, steve. we checked some of the bay a rea's storm trouble spots. now, look at this mobile home park which flooded during yesterday's downpour. we checked again. it's now slowly drying out. this is on old bayshore road in redwood city. the water pump failed just as all of the heavy rain started to fall yesterday afternoon. things have also dried up in mill valley this morning. yesterday's heavy rain flooded this park and ride lot. water main just driving or r iding a bike almost impossible. and re rain is expected today along with the possibility of more lightning. there was quite a light show during last night's storm. our ktvu cameras captured this very dramatic scene, lightning flashed right over the bay bridge. that scene was pretty much the same in other parts of the bay area. also right now, pg&e is

working to get the power back on to the few hundred bay area homes and businesses that lost electricity during the weekend storms. the crews are working nonstop getting those lights back on. they are also getting ready for the next big storm. in sonoma county, crews plan to search the russian river for a missing woman. investigators believe she may have accidentally driven her car off the road and into the river late saturday night. claudine wong has more from sonoma county. >> reporter: good morning, pam. when this happened. 62-year-old phyllis bin was supposed to be following friends down the road to this i ntersection. we've come here to highway 1 and highway 116 because this is where her friend stopped when they realized she wasn't behind them anymore. where they had come from was a restaurant just a couple of miles from here. it's called the river's end restaurant. we were there this morning. that's where they had dinner.

they left -- they left there around 11:00 saturday night. she was suppose -- she was supposed to follow them back to her hotel back in santa rosa. we drove the route and took video just to show you what it would look like. it was probably raining and d ark. this is what she would have seen driving down that road. two-lane road very dark on the right side, you can't see it, but it is the russian river that just kind of parallels that side of the road. it took about two miles to get to the intersection when they realized she was missing. she's from agoura hills, which is in southern california. it was late at night, and they think, according to the "press democrat" there were some fresh tire tracks that went straight into the road and into the r iver. now, there is no skid marks or anything that indicates she swerved but they think she may have gotten disoriented. so at this point, the plan is so search around here this morning. there are water rescue teams.

they want to take a close look at the russian river, see if they can locate her car. we do expect them out here as we get more day lie light. we're gonna monitor the situation and keep you posted. claudine wong, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, claudine. bad news is making this a rough getaway for many t ravelers. you should check with your airline first if you plan to fly today. jade hernandez is at sfo with the very latest from there. >> reporter: we've been emphasizing all morning just how many travelers are out here at sfo. this line that you are looking at right here was actually all the way to the front door of the terminal here at the american airlines terminal. it's a commonly busy week at the airport just before the h olidays. everybody ready to get home to family and friends. we haveian update for you. we've been telling you -- you

about cancellations. and joining me is the s pokesperson for sfo. you have news? >> the flights are coming in from london and they will -- dash and they will go out. if you are booked on british or virgin, come on out. er we're going to -- planning on going out today. >> reporter: oh, that's good news for travelers. you said sfo expects delays later this morning. the weather forecast is breaking right now. it looks like from 10:00, the faa is going to put in put -- if you are frying -- flying west of the rockies, the flight delays will happen after 10:00. >> reporter: now, those are delays that travelers yesterday, friday, saturday, sunday, saw. >> right. because of the low visibility of the wind, the rain, everything slowed down.

we have to slow down operations in these bad weather conditions. that's what the faa is going to do after 10:00 a.m. >> reporter: wonderful. mcdonald's karen joining us from -- mike mckaren joining us from sfo. mike also says pack your patience. be here at the airport 90 m inutes before you leave and check with your airline before you get in the car to come down here. back to you. >> thank you, jade. 7:07. now, there was a security alert just a short time are while ago that shut down a -- a short while ago that shut down liberty airport international because of a suspicious package. they checked it out. and that terminal is back open. it turned out it was a computer monitor. it was found behind a ticket counter at a security checkpoint a couple of hours ago. the fbi says the monitor normally sends off a small amount of radiation and there

was no danger at all. the monitor is being shipped to the same destination to -- as its owner, who is, by the way, already in flight. let's check in with sal. >> all right, pam and dave. traffic continues to move along very well if you are driving in many areas for the morning commute. i want to go out and take a look at the bay bridge toll plaza which you can tell is lighter than usual. westbound, usually by now, we have some sort of a backup and so far we haven't had anything on to the bridge. it looks good. the morning commute looks good if you are driving on 880, a little bit windy out there. for the most part, we're looking good all the way up to oakland or down to hayward. this morning's drive on the sunol grade, so far, there are people out there. it is crowded. but you will find less s top- and-go traffic. 7:08. let's go to steve. thank you, sir. different little pattern today, it's -- we are aactually

dividing it. parts of the peninsula south bay are still under that big cloud ban that came in from the west. but it's moving south. the more north bay -- the north bay is more in line for the c old, unstable air. but if you get sun, that would be something. very active pattern today. cloudy, cool, showers, possible showers, again, maybe some more hail. a little bit of a break obtuse. the next some comes in on wednesday. cloud it up on friday and it looks like on saturday and sunday, more rain, more mountain snow. finally, it's all snow so far right now. blue canyon had 8 inches of rape on the weekend. it's now snowing there. tahoe is also snowing at 27 degrees. can you see the colder, unable air coming in. there are some cloud breaks instead of going west east it kind of times southwest. there is a lot of cloud cover over us. there's still the possibility of rain. can actually see the dividing line right between san francisco and san jose. that's the tropical cloud mass

right there, just south of san jose, santa clara valley and then the colder, unstable s howery pattern is moving through the north bay with a dry pattern, if you are, kind of in between. if you go south, more steady rain. if you go north, you could get some more shower activity. we've had anywhere from about 2- inches to nearly 8 inches of rain. santacruz mountain took the bankrupt of it. low 50s. slightly warmer air mass as you head down towards the south. boulder creek, 7 inches plus. cazadero, 4.25. the peninsula needed some rain, especially around palo alto mountain view and san jose, they got it. so they are getting near normal on the seasonal normals. palo alto/san francisco, 1 inch and there is a lot going on out there. as one low moves in, but look at that showery pattern to the north.

as that stays there, the cloud ban moves to central california where they will get all sorts of rain. for us, the one system comes in, it pushes that cloud ban south a little bit. so showers today, cooler, b reezy, to windy at times. but this whole mess is being replaced by another system d ropping down which is going to take the place near portland right now. very warm air mass. it's rain and snow mix on the weekend in the sierra. but it looks like it's turning all snow down to around 4 500 feet. showers for us, mostly cloudy, cooler and then we'll get a break tomorrow. not a lot but we'll get a little bit of one. upper 40s, low 50s. cooler to the north. slightly warmer to the south just due to the difference in the air mass. the five-day, a break on t uesday. there will still be some s howers. wednesday rain, a break t hursday. cloud it up friday, f riday/saturday, rain. if you are headed to the post office today, expect a lot of company. the u.s. postal service says today is the busiest day with

more than 800 million pieces of mail expected. mostly christmas cards to enter the system. if you are sending cards and packages by regular mail, you want them delivered by c hristmas, today is the day. you can also send priority mail on tuesday or express mail on wednesday and still make it in time for christmas. that's more expensive if you have to do that. >> of course it is. 7:11. more top-secret documents released by wikileaks. these documents concern security for nuclear teams. and a former aide for meg whitman says republicans everywhere can learn an important lesson from her defeat at the polls last month. and this is a great week for christmas bargain hunters. you will see a list of the very best deals.

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now, that's an angry sky right there. to the north bay, more thunderstorms are possible. to the south, it's cloudy and windy. look for highs in the upper 40s and 50s and scattered rain. british police just arrested 12 men in a major counterterrorism operation. it happened during raids in three different cities. ktvu's alison burns is live in our washington, d.c. bureau. she has all of the details. good morning, alison. >> reporter: good morning to y ou, dave. british police say that this counterterrorism operation is still in its early stages. we understand more arrests could be coming so they are staying quiet about the details. but here's what we do now -- what we do know. 12 suspects are in custody, between the ages of 127 and -- 17 and 28. britain's "sky news" reports the group is suspected of

running a campaign and has been under attempt for weeks. as we've been reporting for the last few month, the u.s. state department still has a travel alert in effect, warning americans traveling overseas of possible commando-style attacks. reporting live from alison b urns, ktvu channel 2 news. >> okay, alison. thank you. early this morning, north korean officials backed off their threats to retaliate after south korea conducted artillery drills. after the 90-minute drills e nded, the north said they held their fire because the south changed its firing zones. tensions between those two countries have been increasing since the north shelled the south after military drills last month. two marines and two civilians were killed. well, wikileaks just released another very top- secret u.s. state department

cable. it reveals a security scare in yemen about a year ago. a government storage facility housing radioactive material was unprotected for with up to a week. there was one guard there, but that guard was removed and surveillance cameras were b roken. the state department cable says "very little now stands between the bad guys and yemen's nuclear material." well, this week, president obama aexpected to sign a b ill -- president obama's e xpected to sign a bill into law clearing the way for gays to serve in the military. the house passed the measure last week, but once signed, the new law will not immediately go into effect. the pentagon must first certify to congress that the change won't damage combat readiness. >> i want to make sure we're given an appropriate time, where it can be successful. >> full repeal won't take effect until 60 days after pentagon leaders certify that the military is ready for the

change, a process that is e xpected to take months. 7:17. the 2010 census report comes out tomorrow. the results may have big implications on the makeup of congress and the 2012 presidential election. the information shows republicans will gain as many as four house seats in texas. meantime, new york and ohio, two very important states won by president obama in 2008, they are each projected to lose s eats. it is anticipated the c alifornia -- that california will keep its 53 seats and remain the largest of dash gas stations. the census area says many bay areas are still segregated. it finds the average white person live in a white neighborhood. three decades ago, a typical

african-american lived in a neighborhood that was 53% african-american. rob stutzman said whitman record lost her $161 million campaign because she alienated the latino vote. he says until the gop stops frightening latino, a republican governor will not be elected. >> with less than a week before christmas, shoppers are just packing the malls. and a retail analyst calls this the first normal season of three years. jewelry and furniture sales, also up to about 2%. about half of the people s urveyed say they are only half done with their shopping for

the season. there is also this new survey that shows you're gonna pay less for many popular christmas items this year than ever before. television sets are now 93% cheaper than in 1980. toys cost 55% than they did in 1980 and the cost of small appliances than coffeemakers and toasters are down 30%. those prices have not been adjusted for inflation even though -- even though what worst $100 then now has a $285 price tag. the launch of the new google tv is running into a few snags. google is working 0 software issues and has asked tvmakers to delay introduction to the service. at this money, sony and logic tech are the only ones selling google tv. google tv is a blend of s earching, and personal ability and will include the ability

download android apps. find out what's going on at a bay area refinery in the next couple of weeks and whereses are being told. and what makes san francisco one of the most dangerous cities for peds. if -- pedestrians. if you are driving any time soon on the east freeway, we'll tell you what you are likely to expect and what you can do to get to work faster.

valero's refinery, beginning this week, flames will shoot toward the sky as workers gradually shut down processing unit foss -- units for scheduled maintenance and repairs. norm-planned operations will be suspended during the maintenance period which should last until february. the massive project to

build the eastern span of the been is still on schedule. now, caltrans gave us some time lapse photographry of the construction work. the crews are hoisting the giant steel pieces that will make up the legs of the new 525- toot -- 525-foot tower and they hope to install all pieces by christmas day. there's also a new report out that says san francisco is one of the most dangerous cities in the state of california if you are walking. the paper reports more than 800 people are hit by cars in san francisco every year and december is reportedly one of the most dangerous months for pedestrian accidents because of increased alcohol use during the holidays and more people are out on the streets walking. >> i feel safe out here walking on the streets but i'm extremely careful to pay attention to the cars and my surroundings. >> the top ten most dangerous parts for walkers are

concentrated in the financial district in the tenderloin, south of market, and in the bayview neighborhoods. >> just a friendly reminder as we go to sal. sal are looking, looking at store windows -- store windows, lights. >> or they are wearing dark clothing, not paying attention to cars, assuming that he will stop, even though you have the right-of-way, i wouldn't assume that driver is gonna stop. if you want to hit me up on twitter and give us all some t ips on how to be a safer pedestrian, that could be kind of cool if you have the time today. let's take a look at the east shore freeway, westbound 80 as you head out to the maze, no major problems driving out to the bay bridge toll plaza. certainly there are people out there. it's not completely a walk in the park. if we were to look at this picture on sunday morning they wouldn't be -- there wouldn't be anyone here at all.

there would be like three cars. this week a lot of schools have the week off for the christmas break and that means you will see lighter than usual commutes. when you look at 237, normally there's always stop-and-go traffic. let's go to steve. >> cloudy skies, some rain to the north. more showery activity toward the north bay and then up in the sierra which had a mix of rain and snow. it's now almost all snow, it should stay there as the colder air begins to move in. still, cloudy skies, the tropical cloud mass is moving south. but san jose south seems to be the dividing rain, especially in the santa cruz mountains, it's kind of aligning it self as the low digs in. that drives it more to central california. but not before we will get cold, unstable air today.

you can see more of a s teady, uniform color, and then more showery in nature with the possibility of more thunderstorms and hail. 40s and low 50s. 46, napa and santa rosa. it will be a cold day for some. there's the dividing line right there. to the north, more showery in nature but the next system jumps in. it will keep the beat going all the way until maybe the end of the year. today, showers, cloudy, cooler upper 40s for many especially toward the north bay. it won't be very warm. that's for sure. but tomorrow, we see a willle bit of a break after a showery day today. wednesday's rain, a break thursday, cluedy friday, friday saturday more rain and wind. pam and dave? >> well, it looks like the winter storm is going to be good for tahoe and businesses up there if you can get there but now worries about possible avalanches is now closing some

roads. >> and there is some new information on the man charged with killing a san francisco socialite in october. what he did just hours before the crime. e ilrioct e io

we understand that highway 88 is closed for avalanche control and highway 89 is also closed near emerald bay because of avalanche worries. high winds did force sugar bowl to close one lift on saturday. you can track the weather at

ktvu.com and click on the storm watch.com. a concord police officer is recovering this morning after b eing hurt after struggling with a suspect. police answered the report of a possible burglary, when the officers arrived, police say the suspect attacked them. the police are telling ktvu one of the officers was hit with a dark from a -- with a dart from a taser during the a struggle. that officer was taken to the hospital. she was released overnight. the suspect is in custody. in oakland, the chp investigating after a man was hit and killed on highway 24. this happened last night near martin luther king way. still not clear why the man was on the highway. authorities closed all of the eastbound freeway lanes at first but did reopen them at least one lane. two men are dead, four others are injured after a violent weekend in oakland. four separate shootings

happened between saturday night and yesterday evening. the latest happened at 5:40 yesterday evening on east lawn street. person shot is expected to survive. around 3:30 yesterday morning, a 20-year-old man was found shot to death in a car. 45 minutes earlier, two men were shot on international boulevard. one of them is now on life support and three hours before that incident and about 11:00 saturday night, two people were shot on east 17th street. one of them pronounced dead at the scene. police say the shallings are not related. we're learning more about the man charged in the killing after san francisco socialite and what he did in the hours before that crime. according to "the san francisco examiner" gary scott holland called -- called his mother and ex-wife on october 29th to complain about paying child support for his two kids. hours later, in what police say was a random crime, holland p osed as a utility worker to gain entrance to kate hurran's

apartment. she was found dead the next morning. holland as pleaded not guilty. now, the district attorney's office is reviewing the case so decide whether or not too -- to decide whether or not to seek the death penalty. federal investigators plan to subpoena witnesses soon to testify in the san bruno pipeline disaster. jackie speier was there, along with representatives from the irs, pg&e and the ntsb. everyone is saying they are determined to find out precisely what went wrong three months a go. >> we continue to patrol line 32, and that will continue until the findings from the ntsb are concluded. there's no external corrosion. no excavation damage. no prior leak was found. now, the public hearing will be held early next year.

the ntsb has held 12 public h earings in the past five years. th includes one for the cosco busan disaster san francisco b ay. meantime, the irs has its eye -- eye on the disaster zone in san bruno. it's requiring victims to pay federal taxes to help them rebuild. jackie speier is promising to fight that and vows to make sure that none of that money has to declared as taxable, gross i ncome. it's the monday before christmas. you should call your airline ahead of time if you are heading out of town, heading to the airport. we took this video this morning at sfo. you can see very proud -- very crowded. long lines, the stormy weather in the bay area and other parts of the country has led to some frustrating delays. take your patience, get there early. those delays have changed some holiday plans for some unhappy

travelers. we're gonna get a live update coming up at 8:00. only onof london heathrow's two airways is operating this morning because of snow and ice. hundreds of thousands of people have been stranded cammening overnight in the terminals in one of the world's busiest airports. heathrow officials are asking travelers not to come to the airport unless they confirm that their flight will depart. the latest national survey is out that shows san francisco still has the highest gasoline prices in the country. the lundberg survey shows the average price for a gallon of regular is 3.29. that compares to the national average of just under $3. in denver, drivers there paid the least, $2.68. but that's about 8 cents a gallon from just two weeks ago. well, rare treat in the skies tonight. we'll take about that in a moment. first, we want to check in with sal. how is traffic, sal? >> pam, it's cooing -- it's d oing well. i want to show you the traffic

is moving along pretty well at the bay bridge toll plaza so you don't have to worry about it so much. westbound coming in to san francisco today and i have a feeling it will stay this way for the rest of the week, b arring any big problems. we have less volume. looking like 880 north and southbound, that traffic is moving along very nicely here near the coliseum. if you are driving in livermore and castro valley, even that commute seems lighter than u sual. livermore traffic, not a lot of activity on the road sensors. across the bay, 101 and 280 are doing very well. let's go to steve. thank you, sal. a little bit of a break for s ome. it will still be cloudy, breezy, cool and for others, especially near the north bay you are more in line for possible storms. the steady rain is moving south towards central and southern california where they may get a lot of rain over the next couple of days. today, kind of a cool, cloudy, showery day. a break tomorrow.

but the next system moves moves in on wednesday or rain and wind. looks like -- looks like a break on thursday on thursday -- on thursday. in the north bay, some of that green is turning to yellow. so some of that thunderstorm activity could develop. some of that is even snow. and yet san jose south, that's the cloud ban that we had all over the weekend, that's sliding south as the system in portland dig -- digs and another system digs to take its place. still, we have a lot of clouds over us. anywhere from about 2 1/2 to 8 inches of rain. santacruz mountains took the brunt of this. temperatures are cool, upper 40s, low 50s. they will stay there. concord livermore, 50, 51, 52 at best. you can see how this is kind of doing this, kind of freewaying a -- kind of flipping a little

bit. it's now being driven more in a southwest fashion. the rain/snow up in the sierra is turning to snow. here comes the next system driving right down. that's what's pushing that big south mass south. as that drops in, it will start to form another low and that will move in on wednesday for the next round of rain. winter storm warming -- morning out until 4:00. it was rain for a while, now it's turning to snow. cooler upper streets, very low 50s at best for us today. maybe some more snowstorms, especially in the north bay. upper 40s for a few. low 50s and a -- slightly warmer but not that much low to mid-50s towards the south bay. cooler with sun/douds. there will still be a mix on tuesday. here comes the next system wednesday, a break thursday. we cloud it up friday on friday. >> all right.

well, a rare treat in the skies tonight. it's the longest total eclipse in this century. now, the earth's shadow will completely cover the moon at 1 1:41 tonight. the last of the partial eclipse finishes at 2:01 tomorrow morning. it's the first time in almost 5 00 years that the lineal eclipse will coincide. miriam webster, the d ictionary people have chosen "austerity" as the word of the year. the word was chosen as greece's financial situation came into place. the runner-up words are pragmatic, moratorium and s ocialism well, it's a -- s

ocialism. well what mark zuker berg is d oing in -- zuckerberg is doing in a country that facebook is banned in.

welcome back. it will be a great holiday season for resores in tahoe. that is if drivers can get up there. checking in with with brian hickey, who is at blue canyon. oh, boy, a lot of snow there this morning, brian. >> reporter: yeah. good morning to you. not as much snow as i thought there would be. the blue canyon rain gauge has recorded well over 7 inches of rain, yet here at blue canyon o

n, the ground, we have barely 6 inches of snow. i expected more snow. finally the snow level has come down to where we are at blue can up. 5,000 feet. can you see around us here just a light snow this morning. that's been the nature of this snow. just a very intermittent and light snowshower. this latist flurry coming through, if this keeps up, i wouldn't be surprised if they bump chain control back on the mountain. caltrans is trying to keep up with the latest storm. at the top of the sierra some r esorts are recording more than 10 feet of snow. across the sierra there have

been avalanche warnings posted. near kirk wood. they continue to do avalanche control. a lot of activity up here in the mountains. but with this light snow right now and a little break in the forecast. if you are planning any travel over the hills, i would say the latter part of today an tomorrow will be the safest bet. definitely be ready travel wherever you're going. >> before you go -- go, i'm just curious, you do spend a lot of time up there. what is the snow like? is it a wetter snow or a drive snow or is it icier roads or is it kind of -- >> reporter: it's a dry snow. up over the sierra, finally they are getting drier snow.

even yesterday, i talked with folks at sugar bowl at the base lodge. they were getting rain. up higher of course on the mountains. some of the mountains, the tops of the resorts can have better conditions up there. but this basically blanketed all the of the rocks and obstacles. now, let's bring op some nice powder to go skiing. >> a little bit of powder, thank you, brian hickey. okay. mark asking -- mark zuckerberg is going to china, where his website is actually banned. he met with the largest search engine owner there and he's expressed a business interest in china and he says how can you connect the whole world if you leave out 1.6 billion people. 7:46. back here at home. many san francisco city e mployees will be taking furlough days between christmas

and new year's day. however, services like street sweep, tree trimming and graffiti removal, they will still be available. mayor gavin gavin newsom asked city departments to minimize the department. president obama is hoping a new nuclear arms control treaty with russia will be approved. a major food safety bill is on its way to the house for approval. the senate peaced -- passed the bill last night in an unexpected vote. this would give the government broad, new powers toincrease informations of food processing plants and also force companies to issue recalls. the bill was originally approved three weeks ago but it

floated in limbo because of a clerical error. an environmental group is sounding an alarm today about a carcinogen found in tap water, including one bay area city. the environmental working group analyzed the water from 35 cities and found most contained the chemical that was made famous in the film with erin brockovich. sanjose was fifth. 130 parts per billion, that is more than 200,000 times higher than safe limb -- limits. new figures show the n ation's birthrate has gone down while the number of women getting c-sections continues to climb. the cdc reports there were more than 4.2 million babies born in the united states. they also report about a third of the births were by c-section and that's up 2% and marks the

12th consecutive year that the number of c-sections have gone up since 2008. now, anti-smoking advocates are in the process of meeting with san jose's city's largest apartment owners to try to get support for the plan. the group wants to eventually petition the santa rosa city council to get this idea on their agenda. the city will already restricts smoking in outdoor patios and in public places. well, the sequel to a not very big hit back in 1982 was the box office winner this weekend. >> where am i? ♪ >> "tron, legacy" has a strong fan base and theaters across the country were packed. the science fiction film made more than $43 million which is more than the next three m oviesed combined.

pam's buddy, 88-year-old actress betty white has a big reason to be smiling this morning. she's been voted the entertainer of the year by "the associated press." it's really been an incredibly memorable year. she hosted "saturday night live" after a facebook campaign s tarted by fans. she also received the lifetime achievement award and starred in commercials and tv shows and movies and all of that. she's everywhere. >> that's for sure. well, up next -- the plan that is expected to help muni riders avoid long lines to buy tickets. plus -- what's missing from b.a.r.t.'s proposed design plan for the new antioch b.a.r.t. station and why some say it's a deal-breaker. we'll continue our storm watch coverage as we kick off the wet and windy christmas week here in the bay area. take a good look at that p icture.

investigators say they found a hole in the pipeline and found equipment for stealing oil. a once, busy east pail loy alto daycare center is still closed now ten months after a disastrous plane crash. three tesla motors employees died when their small plane veered off course, clipped power lines and plunged into this beach tree neighborhood. into one on the ground was hurt but that crash caused major damage to buildings including the daycare center there. the owner says she's still

having trouble collecting the insurance money that she will need to reopen. 2010 was the worst year for natural disasters in more than a generation. a new u.s. government report shows there was an unusually high number of earthquakes, floods, volcanos, blizzards and landslides around the world. in all, more than $250 million people died in natural d isasters. that's more people than all of the people killed in terrorist attacks worldwide in the past 40 years. since july of last year, the port of oakland has been negotiating exclusively with amb property corporation which also developed pier 1 in san francisco. they've not been able to negotiate and now the doors are open for other interested developers. b.a.r.t. says it's a ddressing concerns about the new antioch station

after city leaders blasted the proposed design. city council members are upset that plans for the hillcrest avenue station do not include restrooms, escalators or space for service agent. but b.a.r.t. says the design reflects the agency's finances. b.a.r.t. says it will for solutions to the city's concerns and report back early next year. well, the san francisco gate reports the transit agency plans to report a kiosk at guirery and ma sonic avenue. it will be open seven days a week from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. they plan to create one at powell and market. so far sal says he's starting to see slowdowns right now. we are beginning to see a few people kind of getting out t here. for example, 237, the last time we saw it, we didn't see any

slow traffic at all. now we are beginning to see some slow traffic here. people still have jobs. i got a tweet saying i would love to have a job. i would love to be able to go to work. some pipe are out of work. we didn't forget about you. westbound 92 as you head out to the high rise, no major problems out to 101, northbound and southbound 101. that traffic looks okay. if you are driving to the bay bridge toll plaza definitely lighter than usual today. if you are going to cross in san francisco. there won't be a big delay. once you get on the bridge, some crowding but nothing major. thunder and lightning rumbling in sonoma and into n apa. this is the cold, unstable air mass coming into the south of i t. it's more in the way of oudy, cooler, though but i'll get live to stormtracker2 in sutt a -- in just a second. kind of a rain/snow mix. there is a line that's formed. we've had a couple of reports coming in from sonoma, that went through and then the line

stretches from san rafael to san jose, and up towards napa. it looks like it's kind of collapsing, but still there is some heavy rain there. the farther north you are there, the greater looklihood of this. the low right off portland is associated with this. and then the next system is d ropping right down. watch out that pushes that big, massive cloud bank towards southern california and central california where they will get a lot of rain. we had a lot of rain in southern california. russian live, 4, sebastopol, 3. blossom hill almost 3. that's really good for san jose. those were over the weekend. oakland, the last 24 hours. palo alto, san francisco, santa rosa, all about 1 inch of rain. 40s and 50s. 46degrees. santarosa/napa. you can see the one low right off portland, that moves in. here comes the next one behind it. that sends the cloud mast to

the south. winter storm warn out for the seer restaurant also up in the northern mountains of lake county. there's still some advisories posted. today's showers, mostly cloudy, cooler, upper 40s -- 40s for some. low to mid-50s for others. it will be a cool, cool, cold breezy day. it will be cold with showers, especially towards the north b ay. rain moves in wednesday. we'll get a break thursday and then the next system roms in friday, friday night saturday, more rain, pam, dave. well, a desperate search in sonoma county for a missing woman. why investigators are focusing on the russian river and what is happening later this morning. smoke in the transbay tube caused a major headache for b.a.r.t. riders. how service is running this morning.

wi i-cl av csts. e earsin e earsst cl. the bay area's bracing for a stormy christmas week. what you can expect today. we're live in jen ther morning where the search will resume for a missing woman. two friends say they got to this intersection on saturday night and realized a woman, their friend, who was supposed

to be falling them was nowhere to be found. we'll tell you why authorities are focused on the russian r iver. domestic delays are expected at sfo later this morning. >> it's -- bit the busiest m ailing day of the year, what you need to know to see that your cards get there on time. of course, the weather is a big thing -- is the big thing today, as steve's been telling us to get ready for another stormy week. today we start off with a little different patter -- pattern. it's a cold shower, even thunderstorm pattern in the north bay. more clouds and coolhe to the south. we've had numerous reports. it's probably just rain right

now, stretching back towards point reyes, right over novato. highway 121, 29 napa right. want to see it in the red. it looks like a good old rainer. that's a cold rain there. all associated with the low which is now coming in ushering the colder air so the cloud mass that was over us. the very mild, warm, mass has been turned -- has been pushed south. that's a sign of things to come especially for the north bay. thank you, steve. well this, morning we have been checking out some of the bay area's typical trouble spots during storm. one mobile home park which in redwood city. take a look at that. yesterday's heavy rain f looded a park and ride lot, and the water on the pavement here

made simple driving nearly i mpossible as you can see there. more rain is expected today, along with the possibility of more lightning. in case you missed it, mother nature put on quite a show last night. our cameras captured this dramatic scene as lightning flashed over the bay bridge. the scene was much the -- was much the same in other parts of the bay area. right now, pg&e is working to restore power to the few hundred bay area homes and businesses who lost electricity during the weekend storms. crews are working nonstop g etting the lights back on. they are also getting ready for the next big storm. 8:03. in sonoma county, this morning, the russian river area will be searched again for signs -- for signs after missing woman. investigators believe she may have driven her car off the road and into the liver -- into the river late saturday night. claudine wong joins us live. she's in sonoma county right now with the very latest. good morning, claudine. >> reporter: good morning, dave. yes, this missing woman, 62- year-old phyllis bin was supposed to be fouling her friends out to the santa rosa hotel. but when they got to the

intersection, this is highway 1 and 116 -- 116 they realize she was not behind them. we're right outside jenner. by just got a picture of the some who saw the search yesterday. this is the first turn literally when are -- when you come out of jenner. when you come around this first turn, apparently they found some tire tracks. we did see a couple this morning that led right off the bank and into the russian river which is right here. this was a picture taken by a person named maureen williams who was visiting yesterday. she said he saw a boat, they actually had a diver and helicopter. we believe this is the same area where they are gonna resume the search this morning. now, let's take you through what happened on saturday night when this woman went missing. she and a couple of friends were at this restaurant. it's called the river's end restaurant right in downtown jenner. they were there until about 11:00. they left that restaurant a ccording to authorities and

they are gonna head to phyllis bin's hotel which was in santa rosa. the plan was she was going to follow them out of town and go to santa rosa. when they got a mile out of town to intersection, they realized she wasn't behind them any more. now, we drove the road to see what it was like in the middle of the night in the dark. as you can see from the video, it's very dark. and there's not much light. now they said that phyllis bin's cell phone is active. they called tried -- they tried calling it. she's not checked back in to the hotel. obviously that's cause -- that's caused a lot of concern. she was supposed to leave today to visit relatives in oregon. when they found these tire tracks along the side of the road. that's what led them to believe that she could have been somehow disoriented and gone into the ranarianer, there were no skid marks on the roadway to indicate any signed of -- any kind of swerving. it's still a mystery but a lot of concern. this is considered a missing

person's case right now. we do expect authorities out here some time this morning to resume the search. claudine wong, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, claudine for the update. well, it is christmas week and this is a getaway day for many holiday travelers. as we've been talking about bad weather may lead to a change of plans for some people especially if you are traveling by air. jade hernandez has been at sfo all morning long. how does it look now? >> very good. >> right now, very good. there are no domestic delays to report as of right now. we spoke to two international travelers who have already had their patients tested. >> i was trying to get here as early as possible but i ended up waiting anyway. i feel like a lot of people were in the same position. >> reporter: the man you just heard from is headed to ireland

for christmas with his family. but the snow has delayed him 27 hours. his flight was to have left yesterday for heathrow's a irport. british airways and virgin atlantic are both going to try to fly to london today but travelers will just have to be patient. all air travelers should check in with their carriers before they head out to the airport. there were long delays at sfo over the weekend. arrive 90 minutes ahead of schedule for any domestic f lights and two hours for international flights. today, ktvu has been monitoring flights in and out of sfo and we periodically checked in with the airport spokesman. it looks like delays should be expected before lunchtime. >> for 10: 10:00 a.m., the faa is gonna slow down the arrival rate. as a result, we're gonna start seeing delays, particularly west-northwest -- west -- on the west coast flights. anywhere up to 1:20 minutes. it will be a very challenging day if the weather was not clear up -- does not clear up.

>> reporter: sfo will provide wrappers after the security gate for the reasons of any traveler wanting a present or two wrapped before they get on the plane. the wrappers come from different charities and they will accept donations for their services at peak times today. if you are traveling this week, check your flight and plan a head -- and plan a -- and plan ahead. this line goes pretty quickly, 10 to 12 minutes. in fact, earlier this morning, the line was longer. it reached through -- to the front doors of the terminal. but again, ace mentioned, you should bring your patience when you get to any airport throughout the bay area. reporting live, jade hernandez, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, jade. 8:08. well, b.a.r.t. trains have been running on schedule so far this morning. there were some major delays yesterday because of an e lectrical problem inside the transbay tube. >> the trouble supported --

started just before 2:00 when a train operator was spotted inside the tube. a spokesperson said the investigation continues but there may about -- but there may have been a mineral build up that sent smoke and sparks. so far so good this morning. 8:08 is the time. let's check in with sal it morning. pretty good commute? >> it has been the i think this week some people do have already some already have time off. westbound bay bridge looking good coming up to the toll p laza. no major problems there. no problems northbound and southbound as pass the coliseum. we've been watching the commute to all of the bay area airports, it looks good. a little bit of rain here in

oakland. i went out to my car to get something and it was raining on me. let's go to steve. not only that, sal. but there's thunderstorm activity coming in right between point reyes and into marin county novato, also that line over san pablo bay. into napa, that's pushed now off towards vacaville and fairfield right over san pablo bay, 129, when things light up like that thissier i -- this early in the morning -- there is a system -- can you see the clouds here b ending coming south. it will be a cloudy, cool, maybe light rain day. heavy rain down in southern california and central california when that cold air comes in also the snow level has been lowering as well. kind of a mix and rain of snow over the weekend. it looks like it's all turn to snow. you can see the dividing line. it's pushing south as that next system drops in to take the place of the one we had for the

weekend. that's going in right now. santacruz mountains, around 7 to 8 inches. kentfield, 4-inches. occidental, 4. sebastopol had 3, blossom hill almost 3. those were over the weekend, palo alto, san francisco, just to name a few had an 1 of rain, so did livermore, so did dublin, crockette. everybody was in the same ballpark. 40s and 50s upper 40s, 50s and a very he, very dynamic week ahead. a little bit of a twist because that's more showery in nature as the tropical air mass slides south. here comes the next system. that will slide in giving us more rain and wind on wednesday. the snow level is coming down below blue canyon. mostly cloudy, cooler upper 40s for some. that's it. upper 40s or right at 50. thunderstorms towards the north

bay. more clouds kind of just yucky towards the south bay. but some -- cooler on tuesday, still some scattered showers but i gave us a break there. rain on wednesday, a break thursday. we cloud it up friday. it looks like friday night into saturday more rain. >> okay, steve. 8:11. british police call them a threat to public safety. the possible terror plot that police may have thwarted f ollowing a dozen arrests. >> it was her downfall, meg whitman's senior advisers is talking about what california republicans need to do in the future. >> this is a great week for christmas bargain hunt, -- h unters. we're gonna show you the very best deals.

welcome back. british police arrested 12 men in separate cities in a major counter terrorism operation. police say they launched the raids to protect public safety less than a week before christmas. allison burns is joining us now from the washington, d.c. news room with the story. good morning allison. >> reporter: good morning to you. british police are staying quiet about the details. i'm not revealing information like what these suspects were allegedly plotting. if there are going to be anymore arrests. but here is what we know. we know 12 suspects are in custody. they are men between ages 17 and 28. britain's sky news reports the group was suspect of plotting a bombing campaign in the runup

to christmas. the suspects has been under surveillance for weeks. last year al queda attempted a christmas day attack using an underwear bomb on a plane traveling to detroit. as we have been reporting for the last few months, the u.s. state department still has a travel alert in effect warning americans about possible terror attacks overseas. it is important to mention here that the terror alert level in europe is up to severe. that's the second highiest level. meaning officials say a high probability of a terrorist attack. reporting live from washington, d.c. allison burns. >> thank you for that update. a busy terminal at newark liberty international airport in judge is back opened after a suspicious package shut it down this morning. the package turned out to be a computer monitor. it was found at a security check point a few hours ago. the monitor is being shipped to

the same destination as the owner who is already in flight. early today north korean leaders backed off their threats to retaliate after south korea continue ducted artillery drills. after the 90 minute drills ended north korea said they held their fire because the south changed their firing zones. tensions have been rising between the two countries since the north shelled the south after military drills last month. two ma convenience and two cilians were killed then. wikileaks has done it again. they released another top secret u.s. state department cable. that one reveals a frightening security scare in yemen. one security guard was removed. the surveillance camera was broken. a state department cable says, very little now stand beg between the bad guys and yemen's nuclear material.

this week president obama is expected to sign a bill into law clearing the way for gays to openly serve in the military. on saturday the house passed the don't ask don't ask, don't tell policy. the penalty gone must first certify to congres that the change won't damage combat readiness. >> i want to give appropriate time to implement it. >> full repeal won't take effect for 60 days. a process that's going to take months. 2010 census report is coming out tomorrow. the results may have big implications on the 2012 elections. republicans gain four house seats in ohio. new york and ohio are projected to lose seats.

it is anticipated california will keep 53 seats. census report shows many bay area neighborhoods remains segregated. that is a big change from three decades ago when the typical african-american resident lived in neighborhoods that was 56% african-americans. a campaign strategy for megameg whitman's failed race for governor is calling on the party to change the view for illegal immigration. activist are saying meg whitman lost her campaign because she lost the latino vote. 80% voted for jerry brown. until the gop stops frights.ing

latinos a republican governor will not be elected. with less than a week before christmas shoppers packed the malls over the weekend. retail industry analyst calls this the first normal holiday shopping season in three years. sales of clothing rose 9.8%. especially strong sales for men's clothing. jewelry and furniture sales were up 2%. half of the people surveyed say they are only half done with their shopping for the season. new survey shows you'll pay less more many popular christmas presents this year than before. tvs are 93% cheaper than 1980. toys cost 55% less than they did in 1980. the cost of small appliances is down 30%. when you take into consideration inflation what cost $100 back then has a highier price tag now. there is a warning this morning from residents who live

near one bay area refinery. you'll find out what's happening in the coming weeks and what residents are being told about this. plus, why december is the most dangerous month for people walking in san francisco. we'll take a look at the morning commute coming up.

good morning. welcome back. residents living near the valero refinery are told not to be worried about flare ups this week. this week you'll see fleams shooting towards the sky. normal plan operations will be suspended during this maintenance period, which is expected to last until february. >> a new report says san francisco is one of the most dangerous cities in the state if you are walking. more than 100 people are hit by car san francisco each year. in does it is said to be one of most dangerous months for pedestrian accidents because more people are out walking and shopping during the holidays. more people are drinking alcohol. more people on out on the streets. >> i feel safe out here walking on the streets. i am extremely careful to pay attention to the cars and my

surroundings. >> the top ten most dangerous parts for walkers are concentrated in the financial district, tenderloin, south view market and bay view neighborhood. hey sal, everybody behaving out there? >> some are. there is a caltrans delay stuck at the station. they picked up the stranded passengers. if you take cal train to work it is delayed a little bit. bay bridge looks good. today it has been lighter than usual on the roads a was get closer to christmas. this week a lot of schools are are out. some people are taking time out. here's steve. >> maybe a couple of breaks today. we have had some thunderstorms in the north bay especially

around sonoma. a few moments of sun today. cooler air is moving in. that's going to juice up the atmosphere. stretching from marin county to nevada highway 121 most collapsed. we had a good thunderstorm there about 7:40. rain in the northbound as the pattern is changing. cloud mass is pushing south. still light rain san jose and santa cruz mountains and steady rain towards central and southern california. they'll get hit hard. as the cooler air moves in that means lower snow levels. 46 santa rosa and napa. snow going up in the northern part of the state with the cold air mass swinging in. possibility of thunderstorms. even a little bit of sun. here comes your next system rolling in on wednesday to give everyone more rain. a lot of rain and snow.

the weekend has turned to snow. winter storm warning until 4:00. snow level coming down to 4500 feet. maybe lower than that. showers and possibility thundershowers today. cloudy to mostly cloudy. with a few breaks in the clouds. breezy at times. upper 40s to low 50s at best dedepending if you have cloud cover. tomorrow partly sunny. partly cloudy. rain wednesday. break thursday. cloud up friday. late friday saturday our next system. one tree makes two homes in oakland unlivable. we'll tell you why neighbors are worried about what's up on the hill. road closures and worries about avalanches are slowing travel in the sierra. new information on the man charged with the october killing of a san francisco

socialite.

welcome back. time is 8:29. speaking of the storm watch a fallen tree still causing big problems and concern in a neighborhood in oakland. greg is out there now with the latest on what's going on. craig, good morning. >> reporter: what i have done is gone up behind the house that's next door to where this tree has fallen to see what i can cement it is worse over here. you have brick here and potted plants. take a look that the tree. this is only the half of it. i say that figuratively. it is only the 8th of it. this tree goes up to the backyard. i would say this tree is 100

feet tall. i'm standing in the neighbors yard. tree did not fall on his house but he has no electricity. it is unclear when this tree will be removed. this was first reported around 11:00 a.m. yesterday in the city of oakland here. this is a street called marlow close to the oakland border. according to neighbors, a guy was sitting in a house and the tree simply fell while he was sitting on a crouch or -- couch or in the house. he knew what it sounded like. earlier this year he said a similar thing had happened to him. therefore when he started hearing the sound he knew who to expect. >> i knew a tree was coming down. i just don't know where it was going to land. >> what was it like sleeping in your house last night? >> it was cold. no power. i had my daughter and wife go

live at our relative's house. >> reporter: he lives in the next door house. the pink house. the bridge came from the clime knee. there is a ton of bricks down here knocked over by the tree. so far it is unclear where the owner of this house is. the person you heard from he's renting this house. no one know where is the owner of the house is. that could be an important step o in getting this cleaned up. you can see where the branches one broke off. you can see a difference between something cut, you can see the straight line and where the branches broke where it is frayed. the number of places where this broke off, fortunately nobody was hurt. repairs need to be made in order for a couple to move back

in their homes. live in oakland channel 2 news . >> that's an amazing site. thank you for that. winter has come early in the sierras with avalanche warnings closing roads in the areas. take a look at this. here's a live picture of truckee. we have been watching this this morning. snow will keep falling through this afternoon. chains required on interstate 80 as well as highways 50, 88 and 89. now we know that highway 88 is closed for avalanche control near kirkwood. highway 89 is also closed near emerald bay because of avalanche worries. fresh snow is drawing skiers and snowboarders to the resorts. once they manage to get there. we have been looking at blue canyon this morning. one of the reporters said today, tonight and tomorrow morning might be a good time to get up there. we heard this could be one of the busiest holiday seasons for

the resorts. they are happy to have you. a lot of snow for christmas. this year christmas and new year's day fall on saturday. you can track the snow in the sierra and the rain closer to home on our website. we have a link to the sierra avalanche center. visit ktvu.com and click on the storm watch tab. back here at home a concorde police officer is recovering after being hurt while struggling with a suspect. police rushed to sierra road last night at 10:30 to a report of a possible burglary. when officers got there they say the suspect attacked them. an officer was hit from a dart from a taser during the struggle. the officer was taken to the hospital and released overnight. the suspect is in custody. we are just finding out the name of a man killed in oakland on highway 24. that victim was identified at 37-year-old dan thompson in oakland. he was hit last night at

martin luther king. two men dead. four others injured after a violent weekend in oakland. four separate shootings happened between saturday night and yesterday evening. latest shooting happened yesterday evening on east lawn street. the person shot is expected to survive. around 3:30 yesterday morning a 20-year-old man was found shot dead in a car on east 26th street. 45 minutes earlier two men shot on international boulevard. one is on life support. three hours before that incident around 11:00 saturday two people were shot on east 17th street. one of them pronounced dead at the scene. police say that the shootings are not related. we are learning more about the man charged in the killing of a san francisco socialite and what he did in the hours

before the crime. he called his mother and ex- wife on october 29th to complain about paying child support for his two kids. hours later, in what police say was a random crime, he posed as a utility worker to get entrance into the victim's apartment. she was found dead the next morning. he is pleading not guilty. district attorney is deciding with to seek the death penalty. federal investigators plan to subpoena witnesses soon in the disaster. yesterday during the latest town hall meeting in the explosion and fire that happened in september. the congressman was there along with the irs, pge and national transportation safety board. everybody is determined to find out what happened three months ago. >> we continue to patrol line 132, the line that ruptured on an on-going basis. that will continue until the findings from the ntsb are

concluded. >> there is no external corrosion, no excavation damage. >> ntsb helding 12 public hearings in the past five years. meantime the irs has its eye on that disaster zone in san bruno. it is considering requiring the victims to pay federal income taxes on the money they receive from pge to help them rebuild. congresswoman jackie spear is promising to fight that. she is vowing to ensure that it does not have to be declared as taxable gross income. the massive project to build the eastern span of the bay bridge is ahead of schedule. we have time lapse photography of the construction work.

crews are showing the giant steel legs of the 525-foot tower. caltrans hopes to install all four piece business christmas day. latest national survey shows san francisco has the highiest prices in the country for gas. the average price for a gallon of regular is 3.29. that compares to the national average of $3.00. denver has the least another $ $22-point 6. right now things are well around the bay area. we suspected this week would be different from a normal week as some schools are out. we have had nothing but good traffic on the bay bridge into the city. chp report some crashes but not as many as normal since the volume is lighter. let's look at the commute in san francisco if you are driving to downtown looks good up to the 80 split.

this morning in the south bay road sensors have not picked up much traffic. northbound 101 and 280 looking good. now to steve. >> little different pattern today. cool, showery, possible thunderstorms already. little bit of sun. then the cloud ban that had the tropical clouds over us over the weekend pushed south. it is in the southern end of the peninsula, san jose south heading towards central and southern california. another system pushes it south. the one low we have is now moving up towards portland. here comes the colder air. showers, thundershowers next rain comes in wednesday. we get a break thursday. start clouding up friday. looks like more rain coming in christmas day. looks like a good system coming in. the one wednesday won't be too bad. thunderstorm activity popped up near sonoma and napa.

there is a line forming across nevada and san pablo bay and towards fairfield. any sun we get today will juice up the atmosphere. you can see the clouds more southwest as they get pushed southward a. . a lot of rain in southern california. i have seen projections from now and the end of the week within ten inches. 24-hour totals for some. oakland, palo alto, san francisco, santa rosa weekend hill totals almost three inches. boulder creek seven and a quarter to eight inches of rain. colder. 46 santa rosa and napa. low 50s everywhere else. rain turned to snow. rain snow mix off and on during the weekend. southern california a lot of rainfall in bakersfield not only for the day but the month.

all-time ever for december. here comes the next system dive diving in to take the place of the one moving out for portland. sierra another 10 to 20 inches of snow possible above 7,000 feet. mostly cloudy, cooler and breezy. today is windy at times with the thunderstorms. upper 40s low 50s for many in the north bay. low 50s to milder air mass towards the south. wednesday is a rain day. we get a break on thursday. clouding up friday. friday night and saturday more rain. if you can look up at the moon later tonight. you'll see something extremely rare. the longest total eclipse in this century. last part of the partial

eclipse will finish at 2:01. it is the first time in 500 years that the winter eclipse will coincide with the winter solstice. one group is sounding a safety alarm about our tap water. if you think you have a lot to do this week. wait until you hear what the post office has do today alone.

8:45. we'll bring you up-to-date on the stop stories we are following for. a search will resume for a missing woman who may have driven her car into the russian river. 62-year-old of southern california was last seen driving last saturday night on highway 116 near downtown. wet weather we have is expected to cause delays at san

francisco international airport. those delays could begin in an hour. it was a stormy weekend in the baarea. wind storms are blasting london as well as other international traffic hubs. facebook chief executive officer mark stuck.burg is headed to china. the u.s. postal service is bracing forking bracing -- is bracing for the busiest day of the year. time is running out if you want your cards to get there in time for christmas. >> time. >> reporter: we are at the 3,000 evans street post office. it does most of the mail processing. u.s. postal service says today

it will handle 800 million pieces of mail. that's a 40% increase of the usual daily volume. today is the last day to mail a card or letter for sure delivery before christmas day. tomorrow is the last day for priority shipments. wednesday is express mail. today is the postal services big day. ining me live is jim windel, long time spokesperson for the post office. >> in the bay area we'll process 1.2 million pieces. that's up 40%. over our 600,000 a night. >> reporter: do you have to bring in extra workers? >> we bring in casual workers to take up the slack of extra volume for us. >> reporter: what about the difficulty of picking up the stuff out of mailboxes. this is a very big deal.

>> we plan for this beginning around the end of the summer. we make sure all of our routes are in place. and all the people from in place to collect the mail and get knit and process. >> reporter: bottom line if you want to get your card there do it today. >> absolutely. earlier the better. >> reporter: i thank you. this has been the situation. 800 million pieces of mail today alone. remember a lot of people are still going to procrastinate. there will be a lot of mail tomorrow and the day after and the day after. if you want to get it to where it is going chances are it will get there for sure if you do it today. reporting live from san francisco consumer editor. >> grab some stamps for me so i can get my cards out today. >> reporter: big line in there. >> thank you, tom. many san francisco city employees will be taking furlough days between christmas

and new year's day. furlough days are part of concessions made last year to help close a more than $400 millioning budget deficit. lame duck session of congress will continue to work until the christmas holiday. top priority is government spending. spending is authorized through tuesday. an agreement to keep it going longer has to be reached to avoid a government shut down. president obama is hoping a new nuclear arms control treaty with russia will be approved. major food safety bill is on the way to the house for its approval. senate passed the bill last night in an unexpected vote. this will give the government broad powers to increase processing plans and force companies to issue recalls. the bill was approved three weeks ago but floated in limbo because of a clerical error. environmental group is sounding an alarm today about a carcinogen found in tap water across the united states

including one bay area city. the environmental working group analyzed water from 35 cities. most contained chromium. that's the toxic chemical made face in the film of erin brockovich. that's more than two thousand tons highier than a proposed safe limit. the nation's birthrate has gone down while the number of c- sections continues to climb. centers of disease control says there were 4.2 million babies born in the states in 2008. that's 2% fewer than the previous record-setting year. the number of c-sections has gone up nationwide. >> according to the dictionary

marriam webster word of the year is austerity. that happened after the debt crisis that continues in degrees. they passed a series of austeritying measures including tax hikes, they cut public employees pay that led to riots and protests. runner's up include pragmatic and socialism. 88-year-old actress betty white has a big reason to smile. she's been voted as entertainer of the year. it has been a big year for white after saturday night live facebook campaign from fans and received a lifetime achievement award from the screen actor's guild. we are following reports of a problem with caltrans.

a presidential get away. first family gets a first-class view for the holidays. alndoynd.

welcome back. a sceneic stretch of the highway is closed. we don't have a picture. chp says a 20-mile stretch of the pch was shut down after 8:00 last night.

happily no one was hurt. they had a lot of rain in southern california. in fact broke some records with more than two inches in downtown los angeles. and almost three and a half inches of rain in pasadena. city council is expected to vote today on a controversial proposal to build a target super store. the group named keep it local san rafael is collecting signatures to force a referendum on the matter the council approves the plan. it says the target store will lead to the closing of small businesses in the area. a free shuttle bus that's catching on is popular with riders in downtown oakland. a lot of people want to see it expand. the broadway shuttle launched in august is to boost business to local businesses. it exceeded their expectations with 1900 people taking the shot shuttle every day. shuttle operates weekdays 7:00 in the morning to 7:00 at

night. the city is getting a grant to extend the hours. in san francisco the latest request to add a parkleting isn't setting well with neighbors. the miniparks are created by concerting parking spaces into a small park. the examiner reports ritual coffee roasters wants approval to build a parklet. while some neighbors like the idea roster worried about losing parking spaces and worried about loitering after hours. it will be an aloha christmas for the obamas. they plan to spend the holidays in hawaii. this is the third year in a row they have headed to this beach front community. residents are thrilled to have them back. first lay by michelle obama and daughters arrived only saturday. the president is expected after congress adjourns on wednesday. 2010 is almost over now. so it is time for what has become annual tradition in recent years. jib jabs year in review.

this year's review feature puppets of president obama and joe biden singing about bank failure, battle over healthcare reform and the tea party movement. jib jab has come out with the popular parodies in the past several years. they typically get hundreds of thousands of views. let's check in one more traffic hit before the end of the show. >> caltrans has delays system wide because of angearly ash an earlier broken down train. i urge u you urge you to go to the cal trains website. this morning we have toll plaza lights getting in the city. once you get in the city it is

looking good on 101 and 280. here's steve. >> i saw some blue sky out there. there is still showers, thundershowers in the north. and a lot of clouds. still mostly cloudy cool and breezy with occasional thunderstorms. partly cloudy. partly sunny tuesday. rain wednesday. a break thursday. more clouds friday. more rain saturday. >> thank you for the warning. thank you for watching. have a great day. noon news is next. stay with us.