good morning to you. welcome to a brand new day. it's friday, february 25th. >> thank you for joining us. we want to get right to our top stories this morning. we are on storm watch. we to have live team coverage with reporters on the ground. let's go to steve paulson for latest on the forecast. >> reporter: happy friday everybody. right now it's just rain for us. the cold air is getting closer and closer. highs will only be in the 40s today. upper 40s for some and very low

50s. some of the rain has turned to snow mix. there lies the potential for us in that we could get some of that down to sea level. >> reporter: right now traffic will be basicked by the rain and wind. you can see how windy it is with this camera we're showing you. it's bouncing up and down. the traffic may be affected by that. we're looking at interstate 80. it's getting busier now. we've had a few fender benders. there's a huge puddle there in oakland. >> reporter: we're at oak and forest here in oakland. you can see it's a mess. as cars are driving through here they are pushing through to the

side of the road because the puddle stretches out to the middle of the street. no one can get by. we have seen a couple of people walking up. the person crossed the street. this is an area that's been a problem. people who walk through this area say we have seen it before. one man walked to it. he realized it wasn't going to happen. >> walk around there and the other choice is walk through it, which i'm not going to do. >> not today? >> no. >> i think you have the proper shoes. >> reporter: he walked across the street and got to his destination. he said i came up thinking there were some days i can get by this. today was not to be that day. if you take a look at the water you can see the wind is starting

to pick up. we also know there's a high wind advisory on the bay right now. we have seen the changing conditions. we have talked to people out here and said we guilty so many storms. we know to leave a little earlier and be careful. as the temperatures drop the black ice will be a concern into the night and into tomorrow. just something to keep in mind when headed out there today. the problem areas that were problems before might be problems again. time now 6:03. san jose will open warming centers this weekend. community centers in ten neighbors around san jose will open between 8 in the morning and noon on saturday and sunday. everybody is welcome. will it snow in san francisco? it is possible and the city is getting ready. for the first time in more than 30 years the winter storm could bring snow to sea level in the city. barricades are now up at twin

peaks. >> they help the tires get some traction. >> the cold snap will be dangerous for homeless. stay with us here for continuing coverage. steve paulson will bring us the latest updates throughout the morning. you can also get updates any time of day by clicking on to the storm tracker tab on our channel two website. time now 6:05. the stormy weather is delaying efforts to remove the body from a backyard.

it's presumed to be 74-year-old dale smith. he's been missing for months. the police still don't any how he died or what his wife may know about his death. even his wife's whereabouts are a mystery. >> she's very concerned about this. we're not beginning to disclose her whereabouts. >> they were married for 17 years. investigators say she lived at the home for months with her husband buried out back. police are looking for the suspect this morning. someone broke into the home of table drowning victim matt miller while his family was at a private memorial service for the teenager. when miller's parents came home the front door was smashed in and things were stolen from inside. they died on saturday while

rafting down the creek. a public service for the teenagers will be held this weekend. a couple of hours ago a small earthquake hit off the coast of half-moon bay. it hit about 12 minutes after midnight. a lot of people felt it but no injuries or damages were reported. want to if back over to sal to check in on the roads this morning. >> sal must be busy. >> me might be getting his coffee because it's a big day. >> reporter: here i am. it's going to be tough driving out there. i keep showing you this picture here in oakland because of the wind and maybe you haven't seen it yet.

we don't want to watch it too long. i'm getting kind of busy. a little more stable but the cameras are low. it is windy on the bridge as well. there's been a lot of spin outs this morning. too many for us to mention. you can see approaching 8th street there's a minor accident there. traffic is already a little bit slow. after 92 the traffic still looks good. if you get on the road early it should be a nicer drive for you. let's go to steve. >> reporter: plenty to talk about. let's get right to it.

winter weather advisory out until 4 p.m. for the north bay. after that it will be a freeze warning tonight into tomorrow. we start to focus our attention on the east bay hills and santa cruz areas south. a freeze warning kicks in after that. we go to the east bay hills for the winter weather advisory with a winter storm warning. much colder tonight. low snow levels and the lowest snow levels and the coldest air arrive saturday morning. there's our best opportunity for any low snow levels. that would be early saturday morning. you can see the low finally showing itself right there. the only question will be available is it's also sending in like this. in the grass valley there's been heavy snow as well. for us we're looking at rain

right now. some that starting to pick up in intensity. temperatures will continue to been moderate side so we can get going as far as the cold air goes. american canyon 1.30 in the rain. rain colder, snow to the north and also in the hills windy at times. the cold air comes in later on for us. highs today 40s or low 50s. a lot of these 50s will be set in the next couple of hours.

snow levels possible saturday. sunday morning very cold. freeze warnings are out. it will be sunny, crisp and clear. time now 6:10. as the violent protest spreads across the middle east a new hot spot this morning. this one hits close the home. people in baghdad joining in. more and more states are going behind bars to solve their budget problems.

welcome back to the morning news. a recent spike in violent crime has led to an urgent request from some bart workers. we are joined with details on these pleas for more protection. >> reporter: we are live at the bart station this morning and there is a sign that states that bart station agents and employees are protected by state law and by bart. that's not enough. we spoke to an employee off camera who she has selina sees problems all the time. other bart employees are worried. that's not stopping this threat or attacks. the police chief who took bart's reigns last summer reports over the last three years the number of incidents have remained steady and the problem is system wide. the incidents are not concentrated at a few stations. this year alone 34 employees

were attacked. he says one crime against abaters employee is one too many. he reporting is everything. >> we're trying to increase our patrols to make sure that our officers are in the stations and they can be an extra layer of protection. >> reporter: in 2008 there were 54 attacks against bart employees. in 2009 bart reported 32 attacks. last year 34 bart employees mostly station agents were attacked. what the police chief has discovered is the number of attacks have remained steady over the number of several years but the violence seems to escalate if and when the station agents step out of their booths.

reporting live, jade hernandez, channel 2 news. today's meeting comes as antigovernment protest continue in libya. just last night look at this. the protesters gathered once again. some of the sanctions on the table include a travel ban and also freezing his assets. the morning iraqi president is blaming al-qaeda and loyalists of sudamm hussein. thousands took part in a day of rage all across iraq. they tried to stop the protest. we're told at least six deaths are reported. organizers say they're protesting government corruption.

u.s. troops are reportedly withdrawing from an insurgents stronghold. it was once seen as crucial to driving out the taliban and al-qaeda. new reports says the u.s. military now wants to focus resources on areas where they can provide better security for the afghan people. afghan officials doubt they can protect the valley on their own. in mexico three young girls gunned down while playing in the yard of a home. they were just 12, 14 and 15 years old. authorities say two of the victims were sisters and the gunmen were targeting their father because of a dispute over drugs. a college student is expected to be if federal court later today accused of trying the blow up the home of george

w. bush. he was arrested yesterday. he planned to blow up the home. he also wanted to blow up nuclear power plants. he came here to the u.s. in 2008 from saudi arabi. more and more states are expanding prison labor in an effort to combat budget cuts. those are services that used to be done by private contractors or government employees. the labor corrections departments help reduce the $29,000 a year it costs to incarcerate the afternoon inmate. expect a slippery commute this morning, right sal? >> reporter: that's right. that's the biggest story of traffic. the traffic will be affected by the windy, rainy weather. steve says it may be slowing later on. we're not sure of that.

southbound 101 you can see it's a little windy and raining here. the traffic is moderate. also this morning westbound bay bridge not a big delay yet. they have turned the metering lights on. we're hoping for a light day. it will make it easier for you to get across. it will be windy on those bridges. you might want to consider using public transportation if you have that lucky. this is a look at interstate 880. it's very windy along this. let's go to steve. >> reporter: snow is up in lake county and a lot of know. a couple inches to well over four, five, six inches of snow. we're in the warm sector right now. we get the morning rain, colder and windy. the colder air comes in later. that's what we're looking at as far as this system coming in. very cold air comes in tonight. that will be our best opportunities for snow levels. i still think it's overnight into early saturday morning.

also a freeze warning starts for the north bay as well. winter weather advisory goes toward the santa cruz mountains. there's moderate to heavy rain. the low that's it coming right there. that's one we have to pay attention to. you can see it's snow up towards lake county and right along the coast, fort bragg, that's snow. for us there's a pretty good line forming from napa and right off the marine coast. look at the temps. santa rosa is 41. redwood city is 50. we're in the warm sector. the cold air is on the way. weather advisories until 4.

very windy at times. 40s and 50s. the cold air comes in later on. tomorrow morning best bet for snow at sea level. that's clear and very coal sunday morning. thank you. bat weather played a role in a horrible tragedy. an amish mother suffered a devastating loss. good morning. the wet weather in the bay area is being compounded by some tough driving conditions across some of the local highways. we'll tell you more about that and have another traffic update, straight ahead.

good morning: right now traveling in the bay area will be tough. traffic getting into san francisco along that bay bridge will be tough because of high winds. anyone driving up to the sierra right now will face pouring rain and heavy snow in higher elevations. >> reporter: we're down very low right now. we're below 1800 feet below apple gate. we're right in the rain/snow mix now.

this is where they are checking chains here. normally they just check truck for chains, but it's cars as well. one time they were holing traffic and had i-80 shut down in both directions because of nasty spin outs. the conditions haven't changed all that much. they've just been able to clear the freeway. go up the road a few miles and it's just covered in snow. by the time you get to colfax you're looking at half a foot of snow. very slow down the mountain. we're calling for snow to go even lower, maybe even auburn and maybe on the valley floor down in sacramento before this is all said and done. conditions expected to get worse before they get better here in the sierra. if you're coming up today just show you will have the chain controls earlier than usual and expect some blustery and changing conditions as the snow levels appear to be bouncing

around this morning. that's the situation here. we're just getting started and it's not looking pretty. back the you. this morning kentucky certainly teams are still looking for an amish child still missing in a weather related tragedy. they were swept away in a creek yesterday. a mother and her six children were trying to cross the creek in their horse drawn buggy when it overturned knocking them into the water. only the mother and two of her children managed to escape. the death toll is now at 113 from that new zealand earthquake. at least 200 people are still missing. they are feared dead. authorities are going house to house searching, hoping to find survivors. 70 people were pulled from the wreckage in the first 25 hours after the magnitude 6.3 quake hit. since then no one has been

pulled out alive. look at this new home video of the moment the quake hit. you can hear for yourself the windows and everything inside the houseflies through the air. by the time all of that shaking stopped, it looked like the house was turned upside down. the investigation into the pipeline disaster in san bruno shifts to washington, d.c. next week. the national transportation safety board will hold hearings on last september's disaster that killed eight people and destroyed dozens of homes. the federal agency will release thousands of pages of documents updating its still ongoing investigation. the board will also question pg&e executives under oath. the world's first robot marathon is happening right now in japan. five robots are racing. oh, my goodness. they are doing it over and over again.

if you're not looking at your tv, you have to take a look at this. they're not expected to finish the race until sunday. >> i love this. our storm watch coverage continues for you on this wet and chilly friday morning. it's the homeless who say the troubles facing them in this bitter cold weather. prices for pop you larry and robin items at the grocery store is going up.

welcome back to the morning

news. the president just finished an intel factory. record earnings for 2010. there's some unfortunate news to report. proctor and gamble just said they're cost for raw materials and gasoline up. they're going to have to raise prices as well. we're waiting to find out specifically which products are affected but proctor and gamble known for pampers, paper towel. a lot of things you buy at the grocery store. we'll see what happens there and get you the opening numbers. thank you for joining us on the ktvu morning news. >> time now is 6:30. >> let's get right to our top story. we're talking about the storm. we have the best people here for our team coverage right now. steve paulson tracking the storm. craig, i know there's a big

effort to help because of this cold weather. >> reporter: that's right. we're -- you can see people walking outside the church having spent the night here and having just eaten breakfast. this church holds about 60 people. on a night like this you wouldn't think you have much of a choice. we talked to a homeless guy who says tonight's weather is where he has a choice. he can stand outside a donut shop and get tips or he could stay inside and get some shelter. tonight he chose to make money. he told us they wait in line all night long for a chance of getting a bed for 90 days even though they know by not waiting at another place they might miss

a chance to sleep tonight. >> sometimes we're not even lets inside. weather leek now a young woman supposed to be inside. they will come out here and saline up. okay it's raining out here. okay you can come right here and line up. >> reporter: the men waiting in line are waiting because they want a chance at a bed tonight. by in the going over to a resource center they get a chance to get a bed for 90 days. this particular church right now before they leave they are picking up their belongings. overnight they have washed their blankets and some of their clothes they got a hot breakfast. reporting live, craig devereaux.

he says the video shows two women coming to his front door repeatly casing his house. later that same night he says three men broke in, ram sacked his home. his partner hopes the police make an arrest soon. >> i've been frustrated. i've been depressed. it's so many mixed emotions when you see how somebody can turn your life up side down. >> just last night police were at the home next door after a young woman tried to break in. four homes have been targeted in the past three weeks. there's a new twist this morning in a notorious unsolved crime in the south pay. police are examining some few items that may be linked to the disappearance of jenine harms

ten years ago. time now 6:34. we have weather to be concerned about. >> reporter: sometimes we do see people work from home or maybe they're not going because they have already worked four days. it kind of helps us out. southbound 101 is busy. today some of the extra advantage might be wiped away by the rainy weather. people will be driving slower so it will be windy. let's move along and take a look at the commute here on the san mateo bridge. when we look at weather like this it reminds me that flights

may be affected by the wet weather. you may want to call ahead and check with your carrier. let's take a look at westbound 580. looks pretty good. gusts up to 38 miles per hour. about 40 in some of the higher elevations. we're in the warmer sector but there's a pretty good squall line forming. the low is coming down the coast. you can see it right there dropping downright below. it's going to swing in a bit later, but the snow is up in lake county. the coldest air not arriving yet. it will arrive later on tonight and into tomorrow. winter weather advisory out until 4 p.m. friday. after that we take our attention

to the east bay hills and the santa cruz mountains. you can get some significant snow amounts. for us it's a cold, windy, rainy morning. right now we're in the upper 40s and low 50s. tonight the coldest showery pattern will arrive with very low snow levels. if they do occur it will be tomorrow morning.

the front is over us and you can see some of the green there. look at that napa and right off san francisco. that's the source of the wind and also very strong moments of rain right there. we're in the warm sector right now. this is when we will get the moderate rain. the cold air comes in. that pushes the rain south and east. that's when we will have to key an eye on the south. rain, colder coming in later. know to the north and also the hills. very windy at times. a lot of the highs will be set here the next hour or two. tonight, saturday morning best chance, opportunity, for low snow levels and clearing and very cold saturday night/sunday. lit be brisk and breezy. proctor and gamble says it

will have to raise some prices. they won't say yet how much more customers will pay but it will most likely include some of its biggest products as we've mentioned here. pampers, diapers, tides detergent, bounty paper towels. they have a huge list of consumer products. they say higher gas prices meaning it's costing more to ship. we do expect more specific details in the next month or so. swiss officials won't say when a court will decide if restrictions on google should be lifted. the company asked to be allowed to resume its full street view service in switzerlan but they have said the traveling photo cards impede on privacy by recording people's faces and driver's license. a new report find a huge spike in mistakes by air traffic controllers but it's some good

news mixed in to these gloomy findings. it's going to be windy on the stand. be careful. plan accordingly. i'll have a traffic update straight ahead.

welcome back. good morning to you. here is a quick look at some of the other top stories we're following for you right now. san francisco preparing for a possibility of the city's first snowfall be 30 years. they have sand on the ready. it will add traction to slippery roads and surfaces.

hours ago wisconsin republicans passed a bill taking away collective bargaining rights from employee unions. i don't know if you can hear them but democrats are shouting shame, shame after republicans passed that bill. it now goes wisconsin state senate for a vote. 14 democrats from that chamber are still hiding out in neighboring illinois refusing to vote on the measure. governor jerry brown is trying to sell lawmakers on his posed budget plan. >> when you folks say no, no

vote, no plan, no. that's not american. it's not acceptable and not loyalty to california. >> this was a very rare move. the governor made his case right from front of a special committee in sacramento. the governor is pushing for a special election where voters could decide on tax extensions. republicans say they will fight that proposal. march 10th is the deadline to put tax extensions on the june ballot. new calls this morning for pension reform. california should scrap additional employee pensions and move towards 401k's. the commission is calling on the state to freeze pension benefits for current state workers. it says the changes are needed to make sure pension costs in california do not become unsustainable.

some government agencies would stay open. the fbi, border patrol and coast guard would stay open. the post office would also stay open and the social security security administration would still be able to send out checks. pakistan television reports the american who's accused of murdering two pakistani men is inside of a closed courtroom. raymond davis is being given legal documents that explain the case built against him. davis who works for the cia says he shot the men when they tried to rob him. the u.s. government says davis has diplomatic immunity and should be released. pakistani officials say that's up to the court to decide and davis could be charged later.

let's go back over to sal because traffic could be affected by weather this morning. >> reporter: it will be arked by the weather. if you are driving any time soon you should leave the house a little earlier than you normally do even though traffic seems to be a bit lighter but still will waiting for a bit here. it's going to be very windy on the drive. you can tell by our cameras that are moving up and down here it's windy. you can see it here on our 880 camera.

looking at the south bay we already have a lot of slow traffic. it's going to be a little bit slow there. 17 not good driving over the santa cruz mountains. let's go to steve. >> reporter: plenty to talk about. cold out there. it's getting colder. windy, gusts at about 40 miles per hour. there's some very strong gusts in the city. it has lot of cold air and coming in over water. that's a good sign. very strong jetstream is enhancing this rainfall. watch the line forming here. it just went through napa.

that's very strong. it can produce very brief heavy rain. there's a lot going on leer. winter wealther advisory out is out until 4:00. that's for snow. there's been a will the of snow up in lake county. people are tweeting me and e-mailing me saying where is the snow? the cold air is not here yet. it will be here tonight. our best opportunity for snow at sea level would be tomorrow morning, saturday morning i think careen 4 and 8. it's been some pretty good rain too. san francisco three quarters.

oakland three quarters and san jose is now over a half inch of rain. the cold air is not here yet. it will get here in a while. after the noon hour that rain will start to mover south and east. it's low to get close enough that it will bump its out of here and the old air will start to seep in here. just heard from steve bridges. he's up in the keys. he says i just can't give you an honest testments but there's snow up there and it will be a lot of snow. right now winter storm warnings are out until tomorrow morning. snow to the north and in the hills. very windy at times turning much colder later on. the highs are being set right now because by this afternoon we'll all be in the 40s and temperatures will plunge tonight into saturday. freeze warning out.

it will be brisk and breezy. for the second time airlines are raising fares. united and continental raised fares by $20. airlines said they are being hurt by the big jump in oil prices which means they pay more for fuel. let's check in on wall street because the numbers are higher this morning. quite a few analysts in charge this morning are indicating that we're really in store for a bit of a correction. some of the numbers are overvalued and we should see a

hit soon. we'll keep watching. pier one is recalling nearly 400,000 candles and holders. the flames from the product called golden tea lights can burn with a high flame. with products came in red and white. there's a picture on your screen. they were sold at pier cup stores across the country. you can return the candles to the store for safer replacement. american idol know has the last two dozen hopefuls and there are some bay area connections. good morning. southbound 680 traffic is going to be a little bit slow in the rain heading to the south bay. we'll tell you more, straight ahead.

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welcome back. time now 6:54. three little kids are died and three others in the hospital now after a fire raced through a texas home used as day care center. it happened yesterday in houston, texas. all of the kids are between 18 months old and three years old. some were burned and others suffered smoke inhalation. the exact cause of the fire is under investigation. the plastic bag ban in super

marks now appears to be headed to court. a group calling itself save the plastic bag coalition headed to court. they want a judge to throw out the claim. the ban is due to take effect next year. american idol now has its top 24 of season 10. >> you're coming through. >> we want rachel. >> you saw it last night right here. she couldn't believe it. two of the contestants have bay area ties. now, fans start voting on tuesday when the 12 men perform. the ladies take the stage on wednesday. season 10 finalists will be

announced on thursday. it will be very exciting next week. you can watch all the action right here. you solo drivers can use car pool lanes if one lawmaker gets his way. rich gordon introduce add bill to set up tollways on highway 101 to the county line near palo alto. they would connect to the toll lanes. none of the toll lanes are expected to be up and running until the year 2013 at the earliest. let's check back in with sal because he's keeping an eye on the roads. >> reporter: it's been tough although the traffic a little lighter on this friday. we might get a bit of a break. there's a back up but it's only about five minutes which is not the unusual length. the morning commute on 237 is already slow getting into the

valley. some pretty heavy rain going through there. there's been slowdowns. 6:57. let's go to steve. >> reporter: there's some very heavy rain there and a pretty good line running. you can see it from fair field, the east bay and slicing right past marine county. starting to light up so some moderate to very heavy rain. we don't have to worry about snow tonight but by tonight we will. we'll have more coming up. we're paying attention to steve and our storm watch coverage continues this morning. we're watching the road for you this morning. we'll tell you what to expect this weekend. also, how our stormy weather is affecting a bizarre mystery involving a bay area man who vanished months ago. stay with us.