good morning. welcome to moat moat. i'm dave clark. >> i'm tori campbell. it's thursday, march 17th. in japan, crews are finishing laying a new cable. it will supply more reliable electricity needed to keep the reactors cool at an earthquake- damaged nuclear plant. restoring electricity to the plant is the best way to avoid a meltdown. nuclears have been overheating since the tsunami knocked out the cooling systems and also destroy thed the -- destroyed the generator. crews were flying missions about 40 minutes each to limit their radiation exposure from the helicopters. meanwhile, the united states has authorized the first evacuations of americans.

the state department says chartered planes will be brought in to help private american citizens wishing to leave japan. u.s. citizens are also being urged to defer all nonessential travel to any part of that country because unpredictable wind conditions could spread radioactive contamination. and the u.s. is still telling americans living -- living within 50 miles of the damaged plant to leave the area or at least remain indoors while the japanese government is limiting its warning to people living within 12 miles of the plant. and that's one example of what some in the obama administration believe is japan downplaying the risk. coming up at:15, we'll have a live report -- 7:15, we'll have a live report on this disaster. scientists on the west coast are watching a

radioactive plume movement. it's expected to hit the aleutian islands south of i -- that's south of alaska sometime today. health experts are saying radiation is plunging. the epa is installing more radiation detection mob teres here in -- monitors here in california just to keep track of the threat. jade hernandez is joining us live. she's at uc berkeley where they are installing a monitor there. >> reporter: good morning. we got a closer look at one of these radiation detenthers atop a universitybying at cal. the professor is very interested in what he might find. weiss taking precautions of what experts say what is the

likelihood of the radiation raising here. we watched the professor yesterday as he showed us the device that measures the radiation in the air. he's independently installing this device. >> ultimately the radio activity can be measured by the air or the winds. so we expect the release that will happen in japan, it will go up and hit the jet stream and the jet stream will bring it over here within -- as a matter of fact, soon. >> you're looking at another device which has been in san francisco for years. this device is located at the top of the bay area air quality building at ellis and van ness. there are 12 of these monitoring stations in the state of california. the epa has just announced it will also install 40 additional air monitors on the west coast. the agency doesn't expect to

see a spike 2349 reading. but san francisco -- a speak in the reading. but san francisco's mayor, ed lee says -- >> it's been up there for some time. i think it's -- it is able to detect air particles that far away as jam. it was able to detect particles occurring -- away as japan. it was able to detect particles oing as they happened. >> reporter: officials have advised residents what too do when there's questions about the -- what to do when there's questions about the fallout. jade hernandez, ktvu channel 2 news of well, another earthquake overnight rocked the pacific ocean but officials are saying

there's no threats of a tsunami. it was a magnitude 6.5 quake. it struck near the island nation of vanaatu. now, vanuatu is in the pacific ring of fire, where most of the world's earthquakes and volcanic activity occur. by the way, japan and parts of the west coast are also included in that area. 7:50. the surfingty is mourning a tragic death. an accomplished wig wave surfer has died while trying to surf at one of the bay area's best- known beaches. claudine wong has more on what went wrong and the efforts to try to save him. good morning, claudine. >> reporter: good morning, tory. yes. we're getting daylight out here. we've actually seen one surfer make his way into the surf. we were at the maverick but came here for two reasons.

first because of the large community here and second while the elite surfers, many surf here and if the surfers didn't know the surfer who died personally, they knew of him. now, he was in hawaii with his two young daughters but has friends here and had just come to town to surf the mavericks. he was out at pillar pint and the accident happened -- pillar point and the accident happened at what seemed to be a very successful day of surfing. the last day proved to be too much and he went under. the waves that came in after that made two of them difficult. he was into the pulled out of the water -- he was not pulled out of the water for 20 minutes. he talked about his love of surfing. and we've been playing this for you -- for you so you can hear

him. >> for me, i love being out in the ocean. it's a freedom. i would love to spend the next couple of years surfing and really catch the biggest wave. that would be like an insane feeling, caught some of the biggest waves ever ridden. >> reporter: now, he's the second surfer to die at mark lives. mark fu was killed back in 1994. he was 35 and leaves behind two children. we're seeing some surfers out here and hoping to get more reaction from them about this tragic event. we'll keep you updated here on "mornings on 2." live in pacifica, claudine wong, ktvu channel 2 news. >> all right. thank you. our time, 7:08. we have problems on highway 24. what happened, sal? >> well, we have a new crash in the last 20 minutes. right now the la fayette b.a.r.t. station. you can see emergency vehicles are still showing you on 24 westbound and the traffic is backed up. you can see emergency vehicles

are trying -- are trying to snake around the long line of slow traffic. they are still trying to get to it. meanwhile, 24 is backed up. look at this back -- meanwhile, 24 is backed up. look at this backup. the second day in a row of bad traffic. you see the b.a.r.t.? that may be your best chance to get around this. it's westbound 24 right near the la fayette b.a.r.t. station. it's an injury crashed a the police are still responding and so we don't know the extent of the injuries. we do know that lanes are blocked definitely as you can see from your picture. one vehicle is facing the wrong way, a lot of people have stopped to help as emergency vehicles are arriving on the scene. let's go to another live picture. westbound, there is a backup at about eight minutes before you get on the span. it's dry today. it will be making it much easier for our commute. and southbound 101 we have a

already bit of slowing coming down from san rafael. let's go to steve. all right, sal. thank you. two things going on that we haven't seen. it's mostly clear and it's also colder. temperatures have dropped in the 30s, colder than we've had the last couple of mornings. a cold morning. stein for -- sunshine for a while and then clouds. there is a system, just a little guy, clipping the mendocino county border. south it won't be an issue. friday we bring in rain for everybody, and we'll take that into the weekend as well. snow levels will along with temperatures take a pretty significant drop as we head into saturday and sunday. the southern edge of that, you can see by ukiah stretching to the northern snee ma coast, right there, approaching a few

showers, guerneville, healdsburg. but south of that under clear skies. it's cold. >> we haven't had 30s in a while and there's plenty, including napa, down to 35. sanrafael, 3. redwood city 37, fairfield sea 37 and even low 40s for oakland. hayward, mountain view and san jose. no doubt about it chill in the morning air or a little by the if you will. but this system to the north. that will scoot out pretty fast and then we get a mostly sunny day, partly cloudy. we draw our attention to this guy. it's looking impressive. it will signal a rather significant change. cold morning for urs. sunny for us -- cold morning for urs -- for us. sunny for us. the sierra is waiting for the system. so the national weather service in sacramento's already posted a winter storm warning which

starts on friday. 5:00 a.m. saturday morning is the time frame on that storm. 1 to 3 feet, easily. snow levels start out around 4500 feet and take a significant drop around saturday night down around 2,000. we keep the showers to the north. upper 50s, low 60s even though we have more sunshine. temperatures are so much colder. low to mid-60s southern santa clara valley will probably be the tops. rain and wind move in and then this patter will carry us into the weekend and it looks like another system barrels in on sunday. teary, dave? 7:12. there's developing news. we want to bring you these live pictures. a huge fire burning right now near a busy freeway near south minneapolis. the fox reporter on the scene estimated the fireball there on the left of your screen to be 200 to 3 munn feet high. witnesses say -- 300 feet high. witnesses say it was a gasline

explosion that caused this fire. a gas station along with an auto body shop, animal hospital, all in the area. i just checked the weather there. it's about 39 degrees. a little chilly. , as we look at the site -- as we look at the site. smoke is visible from downtown minneapolis. again, breaking news, a gas line explosion inning a -- south of -- in -- south of minneapolis. we don't know the word on the cause or the casualties. >> all right. still ahead -- monster fines. how much pg&e might have to pay because of missing documents connected to the san bruno disaster. the government decides whether to pull the plug on public radio today. new questions are emerging about a scandalous video involving an npr executive. and oil oops created in honor of the upcoming wedding

of prince west nile and kate. was it really an -- of wins william and kate -- of prince william and kate. was it really an innocent mistake?

right now traffic is affected by a big accident 24 westbound near the la fayette b.a.r.t. station. you can see at least a couple of lanes are blocked and the emergency vehicles have finally made it to the scene. they were having a bit of a tough time because of the slow traffic and traffic is at a standstill on 4 heading up to the crash. it's backed up into walnut creek. we'll give you another traffic update on this mess and the rest of the morning commute straight ahead. >> hey, sal, any alternate routes. >> some people like to use monty boulevard if you are familiar with the area. and if you can get on the freeway somewhere after akalanes road, you are safe.

of course when this happens, a lot of people know that. at this point -- i as you can see the -- b.a.r.t. is running on tie, that could be a good option for folks. >> thank you, sal. overnight, the dollar hit an all-time low against the yen on global monetary markets. global uncertainty is pushing investors looking for a safe place to put their money toward the japanese currency. despite the recent turmoil in japan. the yen and the jess corporations are seen as low risk and some believe this could push the yen higher as new construction stimulates the economy there. well, president obama is getting briefed by u.s. nuclear experts about the crisis in japan. alison burns is in our washington, d.c. newsroom now with more on how the obama administration is reacting to the way japan is handling this

international crisis. allison? >> reporter: u.s. officials are quoted as saying the next 24 to 48 hours are critical or the situation could be deadly for decades. this is a picture that the white house released of president obama's call with japan's prime minister. there are reports tensions are escalating between the two countries over japan's reaction to the crisis, including this helicopter waterdrop. one expert called it clueless and floundering. another key area of disagreement is the evacuation zone. japanese officials are ordering people within 12 miles of the damaged reactors to leave. u.s. officials say the evacuation zone should be 50 miles. >> we took a look at the information that we had and compared it to the actions that we would take here in the united states. as a result of that, we determined that in the united states, we would make a recommendation to evacuate personnel to a much larger area than is currently being done in japan. >> we'll take a close he look

at how those -- closer look at how those evacuations are going during my update in the next hour. back to you. >> thank you, alaryson. well -- allison. "the new york times" says this reporter -- say reporters held in libya, if it turns out they were captured, the libyan government has promised they will release them unharmed. today, house republicans plan to launch another assault on national public radio with a vote on whether to stop funding altogether. that's despite new reports that a video in the midst of an npr scandal was heavily edited and comments were taken out of context this shows ron schiller telling two fake potential donors that the gop had been taken over by radical tea party

members. but the raw footage indicates the views eprexed were from two top sources. state regulators threatening to fine pg&e up to a million dollars a day after pg&e handed over incomplete safety records. now, officials are also considering -- are also considering ordering the utility to order pressure on pipelines. regulators are expected to vote on the fines next thursday. well, the city of san francisco and the 49ers inching closer to a deal that would end their long legal battle. now, the deal reportedly would allow the 9ers to leave candlestick park as early as 2014 and possibly move south to santa clara. in exchange, the deal would stop the 49ers from pursuing the $64 million claim over the rundown conditions at candlestick. despite this pending agreement, san francisco is still fighting to keep the 9ers in the city

and have them play at a new stadium, not far from candlestick. is it a royal mishap or a purposeful prank? a commemorative wedding mug is on sale for prince william and kate middleton ahead of their wedding. but as you can see the photo shows not prince william, the prince's brother and best man. according to the website, this is based in england and wails. so-- wales. so some are speculating maybe they did this to boost sales. there's also speculation it could have been a joke by prince harry, who likes to tease his brother. >> even if it's not a joke, it will increase in value because it's rare. >> yes. it's an illegal immigration issue. what one bay area police chief says his officers will not be doing. the latest effort to help those in prison -- imprisoned

hikers in iran. the boxing champ on their side and the steps he's trying to -- he's trying to make to win their release.

welcome back. this is minneapolis, minnesota. look at this huge freeway fire. now we're back from a distance. but this is a major fire burning on a very busy freeway near south minneapolis. we have no other details but what we're looking at as we look at this with you. don't know if anyone's been hurt. i don't know if trees are gonna catch on fire next. you can see the workers nearby. but this is breaking news in

minneapolis, minnesota. few details but a huge burning fire on a major freeway, very busy freeway there. we will let you more details as we get them at 7:24. we're getting new details about boxing legend muhammed ali's efforts to win the freedom of the -- freedom of the two uc berkeley grads. he's willing to go to iran to help them. however, that trip would depend on his health. he suffers from parkinson's. ali has sent two letters from the -- to the prime minister there asking as a brother of islam, they should release josh fattal and shane bauer. no response yet. the san jose police chief says he won't use department resources to enforce immigration. chief chris moore said yesterday during a national teleconference to police executives that immigration enforcement by local police

creates a disruptive wedge -- wedge between the community and officers. he also says it's an inefficient and costly use of dwindling resources and possibility of another 300- officer lay off, he needs to focus on other priorities. we have a commute priority. sal, what's happening with the crash on highway 24 westbound. >> we have a crash on highway 24. that crash is being removed from the freeway. they are moving it over to the right-hand side. one of the things i need to let you know is they had to temporarily shut down the lanes. the traffic is very slow coming in from the walnut creek area all way up to the la fayette b.a.r.t. station. now, the crash is still on the shoulder, the traffic is going to be busy. let's move along and take a look a the bay bridge toll plaza where, again, for the second day some people may be

held up. they may not be able to get to the toll plaza and traffic is just a little bit lighter than usual because people may be stuck on highway 24. northbound 101 near atherton avenue, report of an overturned truck. there are no major injuries but the traffic may be slowing very soon it they don't get this truck out of the way. on 101 northbound near the marin/sonoma county line, we'll have more information on that as it becomes available. let's go to steve. >> thank you, sir. mostly clear skies except from the sonoma coast up north. south of that it's mostly cold and clear. it's get right to the computer. one system will produce very light rain. we're waiting for the system to move in tomorrow. starting to move onshore. ukiah says it's inching closer north of guerneville. it's cold, 30s and 40s out

there. temperatures except on the coast have dropped about 15 degrees compared to yesterday. after that system goes by this morning, we'll have mostly sunny skies, partly cloudy later on but that system dropping down will play in into -- will play into our weather tomorrow. today, cold morning, sun, cloud, showers to the north. mendocino and lake county. upper 50s, low 60s. a few showers there. but mostly sunny with low to mid-60s at best. tomorrow we bring in the rain. we'll carry that into the weekend with off and on rain and much colder temperatures. it's 7:28. a huge chunk of highway 1 falls into the ocean near big sir -- big sur. live coverage and why it won't be fixed any time soon.

in japan, the fear of radiation from a damaged nuclear power plant is only adding to the daily struggles of survivors of the earthquake and the tsunami. martin savage joins us live from tokyo. there is a delay in the signal. martin, can you tell us about the effort to provide reliable electricity to the plant to prevent a meltdown. >> reporter: good morning,

tory. there are -- tori. there are a number of things the japanese government revealed that they are trying to get done it in order to avoid an allout disaster. they are using helicopters to drop water and using water cannons to try to cool off the nuclear reactors. but unfortunately, at this hour, it does not appear those efforts are working. japanese forces took to the air thursday, using helicopters to dump sea water on reactor number 3 in the latest efforts to cool those down. but experts believe steam rising from the pool may be releasing radiation in the air. officials have been working to resolve cool be problems at four of fukushima's six reactors. >> it may be too early to judge but based on the four

operations we believe that it will help to cool down the fuel. based ott data that we'll be receive -- on the data we'll be receiving from the government task force, we'll be able to verify whether the mission was set -- has been met with success. >> reporter: president obama called japan's prime minister on the situation at fukushima and to let the japanese people know the u.s. is ready to help. >> translator: u.s. president, barack obama, expressed sympathy to the japanese public and he also offered support, including the support related to nuclear power plants. >> reporter: meanwhile, the united states urged its citizens to move at least 50 miles away from the nuclear plants. further than the 12 miles recommended by japanese officials. charter flights will be able made available to u.s. citizens who want to leavele. and tori, getting back to what you were talking about, about trying to get the -- trying to

turn the power back on at the facilities, the tsunami wiped out those lines. they need to get the new lines in. and even if they get the lines in, it doesn't mean the pumps will work because those could have been affected by the tsunami as well. it will be requiring somebody to get in there, and that would mean, putting someone so close to a lethal radiation dose, that they would be laying their life on the line to prevent an allout catastrophe. this morning, the labor department's new jobless report just came out. filings for unemployment benefits are down 16% the week before. continuing claims fell 80,000 the week before to 3.71 million. today, state lawmakers will take up two parts of governor

brown's proposal. on the agenda for today is to -- whether to develop redevelopment agencies and to extend the vehicle and income taxes. two weeks from today, will be the last day there are two fire stations in the city of pinole. the city council is cutting costs by closing one of the city's fire stations. that will eliminate $900,000 a year in expenses. the fire chief says it could increase response time by as much as seven minutes for some people. one pinole resident says he knows firsthand how every second can count after a fire in his kitchen. >> neighbor across the street start banging on my door. i must have sort of dosed off and he called them. they came right away.

so i really appreciate that they are here. >> even after closing the fire station, the city still needs to find an addish nal $-- additional $600,000 to cut. tens of thousands people drive through it each day. this morning work on the caldecott tunnel's fourth bore will reach a significant milestone. kraig debro joins us now from oakland to explain what this will mean for computers and whether it have -- commuters and whether it will have an impact on the commute. >> reporter: good morning tori. we come to you from a bridge over highway 24. you are looking westbound. take a look at the traffic eastbound. you can see they are backed up. they have one bore headed west, one headed east. if you go across the bridge, you can see why they want to have another bore. the reason being this fourth bore would make it easy for

caltrans to have two lanes going each way during rush hour. take a look down here, what they are doing with the backhoe. we assumed this is part of the project since it's in the pact of the bore. they have a backhoe down here and it looks like they are sooing down some earth to get ready to put earth. the whole project takes $430 million. on the other side of the caldecott tunnel, want to show you a live picture of a backup over there. now, we'll gonna talk to caltrans officials in just a second but that's the kind of accident over there happening on 24 that this fourth bore might eleven -- alleviate. it might make getting around it a little simpler. we'll talk to caltrans and ask them about that. reporting live in oakland, kraig debro, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, kraig. 7:37. well, the chp is warning this morning if you are planning to

drive to big sur on the rugged coast of monterey county, a huge stretch of highway 1 near hurricane point is closed indefinitely. candice wynn is live at -- candice nguyen. what's happening there? >> reporter: good morning. let me show you what's going on. i'm gonna step to the side. if you look down this road over here, that's where the first barrier from highway 1 southbound is, highway workers are guarding the area 24/7 a, making sure no one drives through. workers here say they expect long-term closures. take a look at the mudslide. they say this area here and miles before it and afterward. they say at least several weeks

that will be closed from colorado road all the way to bixby creek bridge. this will be a huge headache for people who use these roads to go to school or work. but workers say they are just trying to keep drivers safe live on rocky point. i'm candice nguyen. back to you. >> thank you, sal. we want to check in with sal. >> things are improving a little bit on highway 24. this is the second day of bad traffic heading towards oakland. westbound 24 near the la fayette b.a.r.t. station there was a crash blocking several lanes. they temporarily closed the lanes and ott the -- and got the vehicles off. things are beginning to unwind. b.a.r.t. is running on time. b.a.r.t. trains are running right in the middle of highway 24. it might be a good option for you. this is a look now at the bay bridge toll plaza.

still a little back up here, it's not an as busy as it has been. marin county northbound 101 at 37 this, is newschopper it -- newschopper2. live pictures from news clopper 2, you can see traffic is going to be okay. newschopper2 is headed up to a crash. let me put it on the map for you. it's northbound 101 near the ma principal sonoma county line. so that's where newschopper2 is headed right now to see an overturned truck reported there. we'll find out exactly what's -- exactly what it's doing to traffic there. let's go to steve. a very good morning. a little change here in our pattern from about santa rosa south. it's mostly clear and cold. a lot of 30s. santarosa, north some light rain is moving in and some clouds. i will show you that in just a second. chilly cold. chill out there. sun, then clouds. coming up, partly cloudy. but some showers to the north.

now, friday everything changes. rather, strong dynamic system moving in. rain, wind, turning colder, much colder by saturday. off-and-on rain into the weekend. possibility of thunderstorms friday, saturday and sunday don't look to be the best if you have outdoor plans. you might want to have plan "b" in your pocket. because it looks like things are changing. some light rain from about santa rosa, guerneville, a few light showers. south of that it's just mainly a cold morning. napa at 34 -- 35. even oakland at the airport is 40 degrees. one system moves that cloud

cover we had yesterday out of the picture. here it comes diving in and that's going to give us a big change as we head into the weekend. today, though, enjoy the sunshine if you're south of santa rosa and about st. helena, calistoga because we'll start to see partly cloudies coming in later on. sun, clouds, showers to the north. light rain in the morning. forecasted highs because the lows are so much colder our highs will only be in the upper 50s or very low 60s and any sunshine today is replaced with rain and wind. this looks like a pretty good system coming in on friday. and then more showers on saturday. it looks like another system moves in for more rain on sunday, tori. >> all right. thank you, steve. why the disaster in japan is forcing one school mascot to change its name. see what judge is doing today ahead of barry bonds' trial.

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in a few hours, the judge in san francisco could hold what could be the last hearing before barry bonds's perjury trial. pam cook joins us more in the newsroom about what's happening with today. >> good morning. potential jurors today will be asked to complete a questionnaire asking them about their knowledge of professional baseball and substance abuse. now, bonds is scheduled to go on trial on monday in federal court in san francisco. he's accused of lying under

oath when he said he never knowingly used steroids. yesterday, prosecutors released transcripts of voice mail messages bonds left for his former mistress during their long relationship. most show bonds demanding to know kimberly bell's whereabouts. >> you are up to something else. [inaudible] >> now, prosecutors say this is what is referred to as roig rage. he describe -- roid rage. he describes it as overreacting to anabolic steroids. coming up in our next half hour -- our next hour, i will have more on what attorneys on both sides of the case are looking

for in a juror. back to you. >> thank you. richmond police want your help this morning. they are trying to find a man who brutally beat a woman, slit her throat and left her for dead. take a look at the sketch of the february 5th attack. police described him as an african-american man, about 5'8" close to 6 feet. he may possibly be mentally ill. now, the victim says the man came to her door asking for money then attacked her. >> while she's unconscious, he ends up slitting her throat and leaving her there to die, basically. the kim back to conscious nbc and was able to get out of the house. >> the victim told she knew the man from her neighborhood. if you have they informationk contact richmond police. now to a story you will only see here on 2, we have

surveillance video of the woman believed to be the -- to be the woman breaking into storage lockers. the nail of the woman in the video was not re-- was not released but police say she has ties to two cities. >> her m.o. is simply to go, went a place, identify the other units in the building and then burglarize those. she, therefore, then takes that out and is not gonna raise any suspicion. investigators do not believe the woman worked alone. they are also searching for several male accomplices who are suspected of stealing more than 100 items. we have an update on a bank robbery at a benicia super market. police released this surveillance video at the -- of the suspect at the rayly's on tuesday. investigators say he approached

the bank teller and demanded cash. if you have any information about the suspect you are asked to call benicia police. 7:48. well, tennessee state university plans to change the name of its mascot all because of the crisis in japan. the school's mascot was recently named tsunami in a naming contest. that contest was held before that devastating quake in tsunami in japan last week. well, now, university officials say the name just isn't appropriate anymore. the-- school will be holding a contest to find the mass dot a new name. the sacramento kings took another move at moving to southern california. they filed papers fiving -- paving the way for an official name change. the name changes are. the kings are threatening to move from sacramento because

mainly the city refuses a bill they publy financed arena. for one "american idol" contest tonight will be the end of the road. last night each finalist chose a song from the year of their birth. the judge randy jackson said he felt like he was at a pageant. the 22-year-old rocker from santa cruz got much better use. >> james durbin sang "i'll be there four" judge steven tyler said he was amaced -- amazed by the performance and said he had sandwiches under his bed older than durbin.

that's scary. [ laughter ] >> you can watch it tonight at 8:00 and then tomorrow we'll be talking live with the person who was voted off. >> we were hoping to do that last week but last friday was quite different. the quake in japan literally moved that country. we'll tell you how this is confusing some popular devices. going, going gone. the huge price one paid for a rare gold nugget county in nevada county.

welcome back. the dvd release of a movie shows a tsunami causing death and destruction? a coastal town. yesterday, the money from the

movie and dvd sales will be donated to the victims in jamb. we're hearing the donations could be in the millions of dollar range. friday's 9.0 quake was so strung, it reportedly moved some parts of japan 14 feet closer to the united states. it was so strong, it's affecting gps devices. now, the gps navigators will be slightly off until the manufacturers can assess the affected areas to reset the coordinates. nasa scientists said the axis of the earth was tilted, making the day shorter by a couple of a millionth thes of a -- mullianths of a -- millionths of a second.

a large gold nugget found last year in never vau county has sold for -- nevada county has sold for $400,000. an anonymous individual bought it. it weighs about eight pounds. it's the biggest to be built out of the foothills. in addition to paying for the nugget, the buyer must pay $60,000 to the auction house. gold is almost 100 an ounce. pretty expensive. >> i don't know what you would do with something like that -- >> i don't know. put it on the dining room table. [ laughter ] sal is taking care of our commute.

>> let's go outside. you can see 880, while it's heavy on the northbound side side of your screen, it's still moving along, albeit a little bit below the speed limit. when you get to the bay bridge, the toll plaza gets better. today is the first day we've had a completely dry commute for the bay area. although i saw on steve he tweeted about something about rain in the north-north bay. northbound 101 san mateo, some slow traffic at 92. across the bay southbound 880, busy. a minor accident southbound at tennyson. if you drive from hayward to fremont. you will need a few extra minutes this morning. in the south bay, it's been typical slowdowns 280 through 17. but i'm glad to see there have not been a lot of crashes reported on the major highways. >> sal, you're correct. the sun is out.

it's cold. we had temperatures yesterday in the 50s due to the cloud cover. well, this moving a lot of 30s. get a look at what's going on. light rain to the north, especially from santa rosa north from the system that's moving in. this is just going to be here for another hour or so. friday, big changes, rain and wind and turning much, much colder as we head into the weekend. system has produced light rain in mendocino county. watch from cloverville, so about bodega bay, sebastopol, light rain. south of that it's mostly clear. look at the temperatures. 30s. 30s and 40s. we haven't had 30s in a while due to the cloud cover and that's all being replaced by a system dropping down. it will also be pretty cold. sun, cloud, showers to the north. santarosa, st. helena north. so 50s for some on highs today. even though you get the sunshine because the lows are a

good 15 degrees colder. dave and tori? >> thank you, steve. a radioactive plume from japan is heading to the west coast. scientists say they now know when and where it will hit california. we've got an update on a developing story. these are live pictures. big gas explosion on a highway in minneapolis -- in minneapolis, what the crews are doing out there right now.

>> reporter: if experts think little radiation will register on west coast, why are more radiation devices being installed in berkeley? >> reporter: and we're getting reaction from the local surfers about the death of a surfer in the maverick. the second hour of "mornings on 2" starts now. good morning. welcome back to "mornings on 2." i'm tori campbell. >> good morning.

i'm dave clark. it's thursday, march 17th. well, today in japan, they are busy. crews are finishing laying a new cable trying to supply more electricity that's needed to keep nuclears cool. getting electricity back object plant is the best chance of avoiding a -- on the plant is the best chance of avoiding a meltdown. crews were flying missions of about 40 minutes each to limit their expork sure to radiation. meantime, the united states has authorized the first evacuations of americans there. the state department says chartered planes will be brought in to help private american citizens who want to leave japan. u.s. citizens are being urged

to defer any nonessential travel to any part of japan because unpredictable wind conditions could spread radio contamination. and the u.s. is still telling americans living within 50 miles of that damaged nuclear plant to get out of that area or at least stay endears. at the same time, the japanese government is limiting its warning just to people living within 12 miles of the plant. that's one example of what some of the obama administration believes japan is downplaying the nuclear risk. coming up for you at 8:15 this morning, we'll bring you a live report from washington, d.c. with more about the concerns over japan's response to this disaster. scientists here on the west coast are keeping a close eye on a radioactive plume coming from the crippled japanese reactors. it's churning across the pacific ocean as you can see in this graphic. and it's expected to hit the aleutian islands south of alaska sometime today. the plume is then expected to

reach southern california late tomorrow. health experts emphasize radiation levels are plunging as the plume moves across the ocean and dissipates. they say at worst, health consequences here in the u.s. would be extremely minor. however, the environmental protection agency is still installing more radiation detection monitors in california to keep track of the current threat. kight's jade hernandez is live at -- ktvu's jade hernandez is live at berkeley where they've installed a monitor. >> reporter: if little experts believe little radiation will register on -- west coast, why are more reactors being installed, and why was one installed on the brown building behind me? we got a closeup look at the detectors installed at cal. it was installed atop the research building on the 6th

floor. why install it? for academic reasons. they are researchers. the researchers want to inform the public what that might mean and show the amount would not cause any significant damage. the professor worth in the nuclear engineering department. >> we should measure that within the next couple of days, the material. >> reporter: for years, san francisco's already had a radiation manager in place. the device is located at the top of the bay area air quality building at ellison and va necessary -- van ness. the epa has just announced it will install 40 additional radiation air monitors on the west coast. even though the agency doesn't expect to see a spike in the reading, mayor lee says -- >> it's been up there for quite some time. it's one this i -- that think is invaluable with us especially now with tsunami and

the nuclear reactor, partial meltdowns have occurred in japan. it's able to detect air particles that far away. it was able to detect particles that occurred when there was nuclear test devices explored in japan. >> reporter: solano county's -- county's emergency officials have advised for any potential fallout. now the professor told me this morning just about 0 minutes ago. they will be checking on the of levels -- on the levels and they will report what's been recorded in that time period. jade hernandez, ktvu channel 2 news. 8:05. we have an update for you, developing story from minneapolis. we've been following this story for a while. the helicopter there is panning around to this area. this is an ir-- an area where crews are now cleaning up after

a major fire burst into a ball of games near a very busy freeway. now, this is what we saw just a short time ago. look at that huge fire. a gas line ruptured. that's what happened. the fire appears to be gnaw under -- now under control. this is videotape from a short while ago. it's too soon to know exactly what caused the explosion. but we can tell you the people who live close to that area were evacuated. we don't know if they are still away from their homes. that freeway -- that freeway had to be shut down in both directions as. as of right now, we haven't heard of any injuries in minneapolis. an accomplished big wave surfer has died at one of the bay area's best known beaches. claudine wong, she's live now in pacifica and claudine, you just talked to some local surfers what did they say? >> we've been getting reaction out here in pacifica. the surfer died about 15 miles from where we are. local surfers know the spot very, very well.

the people we talked to haven't heard of their death -- haven't heard of his death. but the maverick surfers, he was known by all of them. one person by talked to said the conditions yesterday at mavericks had people talking. >> a guy i work with, he's a therapist. and he said go down there, go check it out. >> i hope to aspire to do something like that myself. >> reporter: it doesn't make you think twice about what's happening? >> no. it's a tragedy. but i guess it's part of the risk. >> reporter: now, the day did turn tragic yesterday when a big wave professional surfer got knocked down and drowned. reports were that after he fell, at least two -- at least two more waves came on top of him. a friend found his body about 20 minutes later. he's 35 and from hawaii. he was married with two young

daughters and had just flown in last weekend. in an online interview last winter, he talked about his love for surfing and the constant search for big wave. >> i try to get a big barrel out here every year. i just want to enjoy life and have fun surfing while i'm still young. >> reporter: he's a -- he's the second surfer to die from the mavericks. back then, he had just flown in from hawaii, had gone straight to mavericks and was killed on his first ride ever there. what's interesting about the sufficienters we talked to this morning these are guys and women who come out and surf before they he -- before they start their day. they all understand why some take the risk at mav rigs all of the time -- mavericks all of the time, because as surfers, the big wave is what it is all about. claudine wong, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, claudine. we want to check in again

with sal and see how things are move -- things are moving on this thursday. >> we've had terrible commutes. today it's improving, especially in this area. i want to show you newschopper2, live video here live pictures of the richmond/san rafael bridge toll plaza. you can see it's much lighter than unusual. this bridge is a nice drive in and out of the county and getting object bridge. we don't have a lot going on on 580 in the nearby area either. that's certainly good news if you are watching to marin county or richmond. let's take a look at interstate 880, also looking much better as you drive on 880 noon northbound, on right of your screen, you can see the cars are doing well. in the south bay, we have some problems. southbound 280 on the way to saratoga, there is a crash -- it looks like we're getting new information on this.

it's southbound 85 in the area of cupertino near deanza boulevard, there is a crash there. you can see there is a little bit of slow traffic there. i want to move the map now and show you the san mateo area. 101 is definitely worse than 28 a. i would use 280 instead. let's go to steve. >> thank you, sal. from about santa rosa county south, it's mostly sunny but north of that, it's foggy, it's cold and there's light rain moving in especially up into mendocino county. 0s. temperatures -- temperatures are really cold. 30s. a chilly morning but mostly clear for most of the day. friday. >> everything just -- any nine just falls off the table because we have a rather strong system coming in for rain and wind and turring colder, much colder by saturday. snow levels come down maybe 2500 feet. colder, possible thunderstorms.

what's the good news? well, there won't be much. look at that. it's heading to guerneville. santarosa is 35. out ahead of that, you are getting some fog and low clouds. south of that, it's not bad. it's cold. 36. these are some of the low, bethel island, 36. clayton was 37. 38 stanford, mill valley, los gatos but i saw some lower 30s up to the santa cruz mountains. it's a chilly morning, a far cry from anything we've had. that system will clear out, it's mainly driving east- northeast behind that, we'll have mostly sunny skies. the system is driving southward.

and that's gonna play in our weather on friday and just sit there and send in spokes of showers and cold temperatures over the weekend. sierra nevada, winter storm warning starts tomorrow morning. there's showers to the north. upper 50s for some or low 60s. even though we get the sunshine to the south becauses the lows are about 15 degrees colder than yesterday morning. there will be a push on the highs. rain, wind, koehler -- colder temperatures friday and that settles right into the weekend and then maybe early next week. 8:12. is the japan quake and tsunami disaster stirring up americans to write a check and help the victims? the secretary of state

provides some blunt answers to direct questions about her future. asit a mistake or somebody's idea of -- plus -- was it a mistake or somebody's idea of a joke?

u.s. and japanese officials are at odds over the handling of the nuclear crisis in japan. alison burns is in our washington, d.c. bureau with the latest on why the obama administration is so concerned.

allison? >> tori, the bottom line is the information from japanese agencies dealing with the crisis has often been confusing and contradictory. while president obama is assuring japan's prime minister the u.s. will help in any way needed and dozens of nuclear experts are in japan, tensions are escalating as the situation deteriorates. the u.s. says the evacuation zone should be 50 miles but so far the japanese government only ordering people to leave who live within 12 miles of the damaged reactors. >> i think now our experts are probing deeply to get every piece of information they possibly can so we can make our own judgments. >> reporter: this is new video of the scene at a japanese train situation as people try to move further away from the nuclear plant. the airports are also packed as people try to leave the country. the u.s. state department has chartered planes to help

americans leave and has issued a travel warning for americans to defer travel to japan. recording live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu channel 2 news. 8:16. overnight the dollar hit an all- time low against the yen on global monetary markets. global uncertainty is pushing investors who are looking for a safe place to put their money towards the jess currency despite the -- japanese currency despite the turmoil in japan, the yen and currency are seen as low risk. and some believe japan's current crisis could push the yen higher as new construction stimulates the economy there. so far americans have donated far less money to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in japan than they have in other recent disasters. charities in the u.s. have raised $49 million in the six days since the tsunami hit.

that compares to $296 million in donations during the first seven days following the earthquake in haiti last year and nearly $250 million in the first week to the victims of the indian tsunami back in 2004. experts say it's probably because japan is viewed as being a wealthy country. 8:17. well, "the new york times" is holding out hope that former journalists now missing in libya are still alive and they are in the custody of the libyan government. they disappeared tuesday. you are looking at some of the photos there. "the new york times" says if it turns out the propertiers were captured by military forces, the libyan government has promised to release them, unarmed. >> the nation's top diplomat may be giving up her career in government completely after this presidential term. secretary of state hillary rodham clinton says she does not want to keep her job even if obama wins a second term.

she doesn't want to be president, or vice president either. she's in providing -- she's providing support now in tunisia. the clip from npr showed ron schiller telling two fake potential donors that the gop had been taken over by radical tea party members. but the raw footage dash footage says it was from two top republicans. the city of san francisco and the 49ers are getting a little closer to that would end their long legal battle. the deal reportedly would allow theers to leave candlestick park as soon as 2014 and possibly move south to santa clara. in exchange, the deal would stop the 49ers from pursuing a

$60 million claim over the rundown conditions at candlestick. despite this pending agreement, san francisco is still triting -- fighting to keep the 9ers in the city and have them play at a new stadium not far from candlestick. march madness officially gets underway today. it's the annual work-time distraction for ncaa college basketball fans. it's now easier than ever to watch the games with ipads and other high-tech gadgets. researchers predict viewership will skyrocket to 8.4 million hours during the work day this year and that adds up to nearly $200 million in lost productivity and -- productivity. how much pg&e will have to pay because of missing documents tied to the san bruno

disaster. redefining road rage. how one woman's actions got the attention of city leaders. good morning. westbound 24 traffic looks good. we'll tell you why driving around the bay area today you may notice a lot more police officers.

welcome back. state regulators are threatening to fine pg&e up to a million dollars a day after

pg&e handed over incomplete safety records. those officials are also considering ordering pg&e to reduce the pressure on additional pipelines. the p.u.c. asked for key safety documents after that disaster in san bruno. regulators are expected to take a vote on whether they will fine pg&e next tours -- next thursday. prince william is in christchurch, new zealand lending his support to earthquake survivors there. he called the scale of the disaster unbelievable while during the -- while touring the damage. a magnitude 6.3 quake struck on february 22nd and kill more than 150 people. tomorrow, prince william is expected to attend a national memorial service. he's also scheduled to visit australia which has been devastated by flooding and cyclones. all right. was this a royal mistake or somebody's idea of a joke? take a look at the commemorative wedding mug for prince william and kate

middleton. the mug, the photo, that's his best man, that's prince harry. the company that made the mug has a chinese name. but according to their website they are based in england and wales. there's also speculation it could have been a joke played by prince harry. an ohio woman decided to have an unusual protest over a pothole. ross mcallister spent her 57th birthday blocking a pothole with her car. the woman said she contacted city officials to tell them about problem but it was not fix. her two-hour long protest seems to have worked. the city is now planning to cover the hot pole and repair the road. certainly a woman who looks like she speaks her mind. >> she meant what she said. let's check in with sal see what's happening on -- happening on our roads. good morning. let's take a look at what we

have. traffic is going to be light on the bridges. i'm happy to report the bridges have been doing well. this traffic is smooth so far. coming up in the next report, we'll take an extended look at the south bay where we do have some traffic. but now let's get your forecast with steve. all right, sal. it's mostly sunny. up in sonoma county, it's cloudy, cold, rain is moving in. some of it is heavy. cold this morning. a lot of 30s and our computer does show we have the system moving in. there's just a southern edge of that going through mendocino county county, look at that. starting to move in. some of that is turning to white. morning sun, afternoon clouds for most. clouds, fog, rain from about santa rosa north.

actually draw that back to st. helena and calistoga. if you thought it was colder this morning, a lot of 30s for lows and sol of those 30s are trapped now to the -- and some of those 30s are trapped now. there's the system coming out of the gulf of alaska. tomorrow, though, here comes that system, rain, wind, koehler temperatures. that will take us -- it's going to be very cold, i think saturday morning. snow level is going to be down around 2500 feet. 8:2. the barry bonds perjury trial is set to begin on monday. in just a couple of hours, the court will take up a very important piece of legal business in the case. >> reporter: the fourth bore of the caldecott tunnel is supposed to relieve traffic, just not in the direction you might think it will. also, a stretch of highway 1 just fell into the ocean. why the repair work won't be

finished any time soon.

pam cook is in our newsroom right now to tell us what's happening today in the bonds case. >> well, giants' fans who once sat in the stands cheering for barry bonds may be sitting in the jury box. he may not have been hail

adhere row but he did get a lot of cheers when he threw out the ceremonial pitch. potential jurors will answer a 19-page questionnaire today that focuses on their knowledge and experience of baseball and their knowledge and experience with substance abuse. now, bonds is set to go on trial on monday in federal court in san francisco. he's accused of lying under oath when he said he never knowingly used steroids. yesterday, prosecutors also released the transcripts of voice mail messages bonds left for his former miss stress during their long relationship. that's gonna be interesting in the case because from -- because prosecutors say the recordings are evidence of what's called roid rage. bonds's toys say the conversations are simply lovers' -- a lover's spat. they will be asked do you have

a favorable or unfavorable opinion of barry bonds. no opinion is also except -- is accepted. reporting live in the newsroom, i'm pam cook. back to dave and tori. this morning, the labor department's new jobless report came out. 385,000 people filedded for first time unemployment -- filed for first time unemployment benefits. that's down from the week before. claims fell 80,000 the week before. to 3.71 million. the dow is up 156, nasdaq is up 37, s&p is up 19. today state lawmakers will take up two parts of governor brown's budget proposal. yesterday, both houses proposed

massive cuts to state welfare proposals. the reductions are expected to help close the deficit. on agenda to why to elime nate redevelopment agencies and the special election to extend vehicles and income taxes. the chp says if you plan to drive down to big sur on the rugged coast of county 1, a huge stretch near hurricane point is closed definitely of the chp ordered that closure last night. look, a massive mudslide took out 40 feet of highway 1, just pushed it into the pacific ocean. right now that area is too dangerous for repair work to start. so this area may be closed at least a couple of days, maybe even longer. meantime, work on the fourth bore of the caldecott tunnel takes a big step this morning. kraig debro is there in oakland. he just found out something

very surprising and you -- and say this will not make computers -- commuters happy. is that right, kraig? >> reporter: i wouldn't think so after talking to a construction manager. the fourth bore of construction is going on. if you look at the foreground here, you see a row of cars headed eastbound. well, according to the construction manager, the fourth bore construction won't do much of anything to alleviate the commute going westbound. it's the eastbound commute that it's going to affect. this morning we got the first look at the west fourth bore construction. peels started to peel back the outer layers of earth. and then they will start to punch a hole in the bore and when they get deeper to the tunnel, ground up rock will be used. the construction manager says when this is finished, the fourth bore will likely not

affect the traffic in the rush hour direction of the commute. >> the commute on the other side, a big traffic jam. that's why i was late today. so when the fourth bore is down we'll have two lanes in each direction. >> reporter: the project is supposed to be completed in four years. later this morning, caltrans will be giving a media a tour of the site. we'll be there and give you a full report coming up at noon. kraig debro, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, kraig. 8:35. we want to check again with sal see how the commute is moving right now. sal? >> we're gonna take you through the south bay right now and start off with a map system that we have, the color coded map system, los gatos, cupertino, saratoga. things are improving a little bit. we have a couple of fender-

benders in the area. for the most part if you avoid that area, you will have a decent commute. 101 a little slow, i think 101 in san mateo and also in redwood city is busiest. across the bay, 880 southbound between union city and fremont, that's where the slow traffic is. 8:35. this is a look at 237. you can see some stop-and-go traffic at the merge with interstate 880. also today, the bay bridge i think it will -- this will make you happy. westbound light coming into the city. let's go to steve. mostly sunny unless you are up in sonoma county or mendocino county. then you have clouds and rain moving in. south of that, low clouds an fog have made it in on highway 101. south of that it's sunny. we will get some partly sunny skies just the tail end of this system that says i think i'm going right on the sonoma coast. there's light rain.

you can see some of that green turning to white. south that there's not much. i can't find much in marin county. but morning sown and some afternoon clouds but if you're in sonoma county and about, i would say saint helena/calistoga north, would be all right -- would be busy. the lows this morning, right on down, because -- because we lost the cloud cover. bethel island, 36. that's cold for them. clayton, 37, 38 stanford, mill valley and los gatos. 37, 36 santa rosa, napa, fairfield is in there. sanrafael, 38. low 40s for many. a couple of mid-40s but that system is gonna keep light showers in the forecast. then after that we'll get a break. the system dropping down for tomorrow, we'll get rain for us

and really low snow levels. winter storm warn something out for 5:00 this, mooing. if you go up north, you might encounter some rain/snow. but that goes until 5:00 a.m. saturday. snow levels start off around 4500, 4,000 feet and then just plunged around 2,000 feet or maybe even lower by saturday morning. cold morning. sun and clouds. rain/sonoma county, napa county north and then it will start to turn partly cloudy. upper 50s for some. even with the sunshine towards the south bay, peninsula, east bay because the lows are 15 degrees koehler. our highs will stay on the high side as well. friday, we're all in on the rain. that will carry us into with off-and-on rain and really cold temperatures. repairs continue this morning at a crumbling levee in lake county. we just talked to cal fire.

they tell us crews rushed to a breach at the north end of clearlake, just about 40 minutes ago. now, they will be packing more sandbags to form a containment call. yesterday, crews managed to stop the flow of -- flow of water and save a dozen homes. even some homeowners jumped in to help. >> i called my son, the rest of the view of us -- few of us that still live out here and all hands on deck for the levee to do what we need to do to save ourselves. >> but the fix they say is only temporary of they say the permanent fix cannot be done until the summer when the lake level is lower. the city of pinole made what they are calling a unpopular but necessary decision to help close the gap. the council voted to permanently close down one of pinole's fire stations. the station was already closed ten days a month.

last night's decision will save pinole $900,000 a year. both residents and the fire chief are worried. they could be waiting for an additional 6 to 7 minutes for a fire engine. >> very painful nobody wants to close a fire place. >> no firefighters are expected to lose their jobs. however, the city council also decided they will not fill the currently vacant jobs on the police force. the san jose police chief is saying he won't use department resources for immigration enforcement. chief chris moore said yesterday during a national teleconference to police executives that immigration enforcement by local police creates a disruptive wedge between the community and the others. he also says it's an unefficient and costly use the dwindling resources and that with the possibility of another 300 layoffs in his department he needs to focus on other priorities. 8:40. still ahead, we'll tell you why

the disaster in japan is forcing one school mascot to change its name.

let's bring you up to date on some of the top stories we're following. the former animal research technician just pled guilty to murder and sexual assault. there's raymond clark iii. he entered that plea in court. this is part of the deal with prosecutors. he's accused of strangling anmy le of placerville. in japan, they are racing, trying to restore power to that damaged nuclear plant. it was damaged by last week's earthquake and tsunami. nuclear reactors at that plant have been overheing since the power was knocked out. they are trying to cool down

the reactorrers by dumping water on -- reactors by dumping water on them. it doesn't appear to be working so far. scientists here are closely watching the movement of the radioactive plume that's coming from those crippled japanese nuclear reactors. it's churning across the pacific ocean. it's expected to sit the -- hit the aleutian islands some time today and then the museum is expected to reach southern california late tomorrow. the fear of radiation is only adding to the daily stress faced by survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in japan. more than 450,000 people are crammed into temporary shelters. they have no privacy. very few showers and toilets and they are running out of supplies, including food and water since many trucks are just not allowed to enter that area. in the meantime, rescue crews from around the world, still continue to help with the search for survivors. >> obviously, that gentleman

seemed to think there was somebody on the premises was a member of the family and it was believe -- it's believed there's somebody underneath the building. >> at this point, search and rescue crews say the chances of finding somebody in the rubble, very small. to find out how you can help the victims of the earthquake and the tsunami in japan go to ktvu.com. we have a link set up right on our home page. 8:46. sanjose police are searching for a gunman who shot a man outside of the mc donald's. this happened on south bascom avenue right across from santa clara valley med cal center -- medical center. the victim is now on live support. we have no word yet on a motive. we do have an update on a bank robbery that happened at a benicia super market. look at this surveillance photo. this is the suspect at the

rayly's on southampton road on tuesday. investigators say he walked up to a bank -- to a bank teller and demanded cash. if you have any information about this suspect here contact benicia police. tennessee state university plans to change the way of -- change the name of its mascot because of the crisis in japan. the school's mascot was recently given the name of "tsunami" in a naming contest. it was held before the devastating earthquake and tsunami in japan. now university leaders say the name is no longer appropriate. the school is holding a new contest is find the mascot a different name. the sacramento kings have taken another step toward a possible move to southern california. the kings have now filed papers with the u.s. patten office paining the way to -- paving

the way. the kings are threatening to move out of sacramento due to mostly city's refusal to build a publicly-financed arena. 8:47. nasa worried about the amount of space junk that's floating around in space. the old rockets aban -- abandoned satellite, missile shrapnel. now nasa is considering a plan to use lasers maybe to fire at some of the 20,000 pieces of space junk that's a little bit further out in space. well, back here at home, a 22-year-old rocker from santa cruz impressed the judges last night on "american idol." ♪ >> that's james durbin, sang bon jovi's "i'll be there for

you." each of the finalists chose a song from the year of their birth, no matter how young they are. >> and another contestant from the bay area sang "colors of the wind" from the movie "poco hon kniss." >> hopefully, if i make it to the next round, i can show them that i've got so much more. >> way to g you can watch the "american idol" results show right here on channel 2 at 8:00 tonight. also tomorrow, right here on "mornings on 2," we'll be talking to the contestant who is voted off. you will be able to see that person at 7:40 a.m. tomorrow. 8:49. and many people are now park -- are now marking st. patrick's day party plans. the chp has excellent advice on

what not to do tonight.

8:52. the environmental protection agency is installing more radiation monitors here in california to keep track of potential radiation coming from japan. ktvu's jade hernandez is live at uc berkeley now, where, jade, you've just talked with someone explaining why they installed a monitor there. >> reporter: that's absolutely right. we spoke to prose fer es --

professor vetter. he and fellow researchers installed three radiation detectors on top of his building right here on campus. later today, he told me they will install a fourth. this morning, he took us to up -- took us up to the 6th floor where they will take the levels and measure to see if any radiation measures. he does not anticipate any spike but he wants to stress even if radiation registers, it does not mean it's dangerous for the people and he says the radiation levels today are very, very sensitive. he explained what he will see if the radiation from japan does register in berkeley. >> he expects this kind of shape, line to be appearing here. if there is radiation. >> reporter: now, the building that you are looking at right there. we were at the top of that

building just about 15 minutes ago. and professor vetter told us -- told us they won't know for sure whether anything has registered until probably later tonight. he says his goal is to notify the public so they are more educated. he says there's fear too many people are ingesting potassium iodide which can harm levels in the body and there are others that could be allergic to the iodide. so he wants to get this out as soon as he can register the levels. he and his fellow researchers will be doing that today, later today and tomorrow morning. jade hernandez, ktvu channel 2 news. 8:54 on this st. patrick's day, president obama welcomes the prime minister of ireland to the white house. the president and the irish prime minister, there they are, right there, just ended their meeting. in a short time they will be heading up to capitol hill for a traditional st. patty's day luncheon. in his comments, president obama says he plans to visit

ireland in may and he's going to go to the town where one of his an vesters came from -- ancestors came from. this is a beautiful exterior of the white house. you can see the white house fountain, the water there is died green. now this is a tradition president obama and the first lady michelle obama brought with them from chicago where, as you know, the chicago river is died -- dyed green st. patrick's day. the chp is warning drivers not to celebrate st. patrick's day be -- dash by drinking and getting behind the wheel. there will be drunk driving checkpoints tonight. st.patrick's day usually ranks among the top ten days of the year for duis. berg injury lawyers is sponsoring its annual safe and sober cab ride home.

adults in san francisco, berkeley, oakland and alameda can call a cab to get home and law firm will pick up as much as $35 of the fare. and aaa will tow any car up to five miles for free if a driver or passengers calls the local office and says i need tipsy tow. and sal will help you where you need to go right now. >> that's right. you can always count on ktvu because we're around all day, we're always online giving you this advice for what to do, programs if you want a tip so tow or anything else we've mentioned. let's see what we have on 24 still recovering after a bad morning. not as bad as yesterday but we did have problems in la fayette. no problems eastbound 24, although it's busy coming up into the tunnel. also this morning, if you are driver on 7, some stop-and-go traffic crossing the valley. and let's take a look at the maps. the south bay commute, still

slow. in new accident 5 northbound just before highway 17 and 101 is pretty slow. steve? >> yes. >> pam cook will be joining us on transcriptor soon. >> really? >> yes. we have clouds, lorraine, south of that it's mostly sunny. it's colder this morning. we'll have partly sunny skies and then tomorrow here comes the cold system and that takes us into the weekend. it's going to get cold around here. our last weekend of winter. >> right, because spring starts -- >> monday -- on monday. >> it's gonna feel like winter around here. >> it's kind of hard to believe but -- yeah. the rain looks like it's gonna last for a while? >> friday we'll get rain. saturday will be showery. sunday another system comes in. maybe an early break monday, tuesday. but next week is looking wet

and they are releasing -- shasta dam released water in anticipation of this. yesterday was about 2800 kushic feet per second. today it's 13,000. >> wow! >> our observer bob in redding says he's gonna take pictures. that's a lot in anticipation of the rain. >> yes. >> and also in tahoe. so the releases at dams are big. >> so stay tuned to ktvu and ktvu.com for the rain and weather tomorrow. thanks for watching. >> bye now.