. if you get caught holding one of these while driving, your fine may soon be going up. we'll tell chu city is cracking down on -- you which city is cracking down on distracted drivers coming up. tragic shooting of a young man known for helping others. what police are saying about the motive. which street anymore doesn't have potholes on it? >> that's a mechanic's take on a special program just launched to prevent damage to your car. live coverage ahead on ktvu channel 2 news at noon.

good afternoon. we have breaking news to report out of santa rosa where two people were injured this morning in a flash explosion at a commercial laboratory. it happened 90 minutes ago at agilent technologies on fountain grove parkway. santa rosa firefighters and other emergency crews responded to the blast. two people are being treated at the hospital but we don't know the extent of their injuries. the rest ever the building has been evacuated -- of the building has been evac yaitd. ag -- evacuated. they make measurement instruments. we're also following breaking news in san fran. students have been evacuated from commodore slote elementary school because of a gas leak. it all started when someone detected the strong smell of gas inside a classroom. this video came in just minutes

ago. pge workers went up to the roof where the school's gas supply originates and they found a leak in one of the lines. they have shut off the gas supply as they decide their next step. we'll stay on this breaking news and bring you any updates as we get them. starting today, several cities throughout california will be cracking down on motorists for distracted driving awareness month. ktvu's tara moriarty joins us. >> reporter: if you have one of these, you cannot talk or text on it while driving. you need a hands free device. don't bother coming up with an excuse today and tomorrow. it is zero tolerance. we tagged along with a couple of officers from the belmont police department at the corner of raleston and el camino. within one hour, four people received tickets for talking with the phone while driving.

>> once she drove by, cue see she was holding -- you could see she was holding something up to her ear. >> i wasn't on the phone to i was just on the phone for a minute or there was some sort of emergency that was going on. >> reporter: according to law enforcement, drivers who use hand held devices are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. the current minimum ticket cost right now is $159. just yesterday the state senate approved a bill that would make that penalty even steeper with the first offense costing more than $300. as far as this crackdown goes, it will be going on today till 5:00 and again tomorrow. ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you. a third gang in oakland could be hit with an injunction. the oakland city attorney's office is now going after a gang in east oakland. oakland already has a gang injunction in north oakland. now the city is pursuing

another one in the fruitdale neighborhood. it would impose a curfew. new at noon, roanoke park police released a surveillance video today that could help them solve the murder of a 20- year-old man last friday. they say the two people in this video are of interest to police in the killing of kevin kraft. kimberly monet christian is the woman. they're asking for help identifying the man standing next to her wearing a red shirt and blue jeans. early this morning antioch police arrested a man who's charged with homicide. the fatal shooting happened at the victim's home on pine nut way around 9:30 last night. police say the gunman used to live at the home with his ex- girlfriend and he reportedly confronted her with a gun last night.

the exgirlfriend and two others ran off. investigators say the gunman shot another house mate. neighbors say the victim was a really great guy. >> just a really big hearted, good guy. and i came home from work yesterday and he came over to me. he goes, you know, dana, i'm really happy to be around here. >> they say the victim tried to protect the suspect's ex- girlfriend during an argument about a month ago and the shooting may have been in retaliation. the days are numbered for a program that allows san francisco police officers to collect a pension and a salary in a practice known as double dipping. the examiner reports the program is actually costing taxpayers $52 million more than it would to hire new officers. one reason is that according to the report, police officers are getting payouts even if they don't stay in the program. but the police union president says the department would be left short staffed if the program expires in june. a veteran chp motorcycle

officer who was critically injured in a crash in sonomo county nearly a year ago is now back on the job. officer todd overzed returned to work on monday. he was badly hurt when he was thrown from his motorcycle in a crash in pet lumina -- petaluma last year. the san carlos city council has voted down a controversial plan to outsource its fire department and instead decided on restructuring. dozens of residents and firefighters pack add meeting last night to -- packed a meeting last night to express opposition to the privatization plan and city leaders rejected the proposal after several hours of heated debate. instead they decided to team up with redwood city in what's being called the hybrid option. the two cities will share upper management but hire their own firefighters. san carlos is dissolving its joint fire department with belmont after a disagreement on how to share costs. it is that time of year

again. a blitz on potholes is under way now that the cold, wet weather is almost over. jade hernandez joins us live to tell us what the city of oakland is doing about the problem. >> reporter: what street doesn't see the wear and taker of weather. now the city of oakland is trying to rid drivers of potentially dangerous road conditions. this man owner of an automotive shop fixes cars. he's glad to hear the city is on pothole blitz throughout may. most areas will see working crews. >> the city is out there. i mean, you see them working hard. they don't have enough people working and they don't have enough money probably to do it all. >> reporter: it can lead to a vehicle's erosion of safety and handling and it's costly for everyone and even more so for rims and tires. stoddard make it is clear he's not accusing the city of not smoothing out the issue.

>> when you see them, if you call them and notify them there's a pothole, they try to get someone out there. >> reporter: a council woman who represents this area of north oakland asks residents to be on pothole patrol. >> this is in the worst rainy season we've had in my memory and the potholes are significant. > i've been been noticing it's been getting better, but i think it's going to take some time. >> reporter: and money. the public works agency receives $4 million a year to fix potholes no matter what. this blitz puts twice as many crews, eight on the streets. >> we feel we failed when we have to go out and repair 4,000 to 5,000 potholes a year. the streetses shouldn't be in that condition. >> reporter: to report a pothole, call 615-5566. priority goes to the worst street crater. in oakland, jade hernandez, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you. today a petition to ban

circumcision in san francisco could get one step closer to the november ballot. the ballot proposal would ban circumcision in males under the age of 18. it needed at least 7100 signatures to be considered by the department. at last count it had received more than 12,000. now the department of elections will review the proposal and determine whether it qualifies for the upcoming election. facebook is launching a new service today offering localized deals in five cities, including san francisco. facebook hopes its service called deals on facebook will rival groupon. the social networking site says it will focus on items that friends can do together, like concerts or events. facebook has partnered with local businesses to offer social activities. the way deals on facebook works is once a user find as deal they like, facebook allows them to make purchases, share and make plans with friends. bees have taken over a northern california home. some interesting pictures

ahead. and a flap concerning one of most famous flags in the bay area about when it should be flown at half staff. look for changes ahead in the bay area weather that you may like. our meteorologist is up soon to tell you what to expect. i still buy it because i like that coffee in the morning. >> ahead how bay area coffee drinkers are reacting to news that prices are going up. ñw?

we want to update breaking news out of santa rosa where two people were injured this morning in a flash explosion at a commercial laboratory. these are pictures from news chopper 2 of the scene. this happened about 10:30 at agilent technologies on fountain grove parkway. you can see santa rosa firefighters and other emergency crews on the scene. two people were hurt and they're being treated at the hospital. we don't know the extent of their injuries yet. the rest of the building has been evacuated and again this is happening at agilent technologies which is a company that makes measuring instruments for the communications and electronics industries. this is happening right now in santa rosa. today a candlelight vigil

in the ukraine marked 25 years since the world's worst nuclear disaster at chernobyl. sirens went off at the exact moment one ever the reactors ex- - of the reactors exploded t. caused hundreds of thousands of people to permanently leave their homes. a special tribute was made to the crew that sent in immediately after. they died from radiation poisoning. americans in syria are being told to leave while they can. the warning follows a deadly predawn raid in the southern city where protests began five weeks ago. constituent has been surrounded with tanks. two dozen people have been killed. the electricity and phones have also been cut off. americans are being warned to leave while transportation is still available. e obama ministration is also considering sanctions against syria. libyan leader gaffe gaffe

appeared on state -- moammar gadhafi appeared on state tv. he was shown on tv entertaining some guests. the libyan leader supporters call the bombing an assassination attempt. the u.s. and nato deny that and say his compound is a military command center and therefore a legitimate target. for the first time in more than 30 years, coffee is topping $3 a pound. industry experts say the sharp rise is due to a drop in supplies of high grade coffee beans. supplies are running low because heavy rains have led to worst than expected harvests in colombia. experts also blame the increase in the number of coffee drinkers. the expense of coffee beans have led to coffee prices more than doubling in the past seven months. the price hikes are also being felt at coffee shops. >> i still buy it because i like that coffee in the morning. >> they've gone up over the last couple of years almost --

steadily i believe from $2, $3 to $4 for a large cup of coffee, maybe more. >> colombia supplies of the special beans have dipped to their lowest level in 33 years. thousands of bees have completely taken over a house in sacramento. >> at least four colonies of bees have swarmed into the front rock wall of the house. the elderly homeowner had to move to a nursing home and the family says it can't afford the cost of getting rid of the bees. one neighbor says she feels like a prisoner in her own home. >> my kids love to be outdoors. we love to do sprinkler fun. you can't do any of that with bees everywhere. >> she contacted the county several times about the bee problem. a case worker told her there's nothing the county can do since it is a private home. at least nine are dead after a tornado tore through central arkansas overnight. emergency crews are working to

account for dozens of people still missing in several counties. the tornado flattened homes, ripped the roof off a grocery store, knocked down trees and tossed vehicles. arkansas's governor has issued an emergency declaration. right now flash flood watches also remain in effect in parts of arkansas. they will last through tomorrow morning. several rivers in the northeast part of the state have topped flood stage. emergency management officials say rescue crews are using boats to rescue people in areas cut off by flooding. good afternoon you to. giving you a live look. san jose wall-to-wall blue sky out there. finally seeing plenty of sunshine and our temperatures will warm as we move throughout the afternoon. this afternoon we are going to see high clouds roll into the area. that will be about it. our temperatures will be warmer than what we saw yesterday. the winds north and northwesterly. 7 and 9 miles reported in san francisco as well as oakland.

slight south into areas around redwood city. northerly breeze 10 miles per hour in san jose reporting a light breeze at this time. winds could kick up just a little bit in the afternoon. a ridge of high pressure beginning to build in and the change in air mass will sometimes do this to us. you can see the storm track to the north, the very northern tip of california seeing a little bit of moisture early on. now that also drying out. behind me if i back this up just a little bit, that ridge of high pressure will continue to shift over the area moving east and over us by tomorrow. temperatures outside our door a chilly start to the morning but we're beginning to rebound. 59 in oakland right now. 06 san francisco. 61 mountain view. upper 50s in napa. santa rosa looking at 62. fairfield 64. and our temperatures will continue to warm. for today mostly sunny skies with the ridge of high pressure now in place. we will be dry throughout the week. got some great news for some. an afternoon breeze especially along the coast. we could see gusty conditions 20 to 25 miles an hour. the rest of us will see just a breeze 10 to 15 miles per hour

and we'll be slightly warmer than yesterday. 68 expected this afternoon for oakland. 70 in napa. 64 san francisco. looking at 68 for redwood city and for areas right along san jose-morgan hill, 70 degrees expected. just going to be a gorgeous day. if you haven't been out just yet, make sure you get out there this afternoon. it's going to feel pretty good. so temperatures for today a big jump from yesterday and then tomorrow even warmer. come thursday we do have a weak wave all over the state. that will cool us down a bit. cloudier conditions. we're expecting to stay dry. into the weekend take a look at the numbers. widespread 70s. even 79 on sunday. some of us in the inland areas could actually hit 80 degrees. >> wow. haven't seen that in a while. thank you. today tahoe officials will announce plans to place a bid to host the 2022 winter olympics. the california winter games committee says bringing the games to tahoe would abgreat job provider and -- be a great job provider and economic boost.

that's because it will take a lot of work to turn lake tahoe and the surrounding area into a olympic stage. a host city will not be selected till 2015 but the first deadlines in the process will likely be next year. the last area last hosted the winter olympics in squaw valley in 1960. a fight is developing in san francisco's castro district concerning the huge rainbow flag at castro and market streets. some castro respect accidents wanted the -- residents wanted the flag to be flown at half staff to mark the death of actress elizabeth taylor, one of the earlier supporters for raising money for aids. but one person says no. the sad news in the music world. singer-songwriter phoebe snow has died of complications from a brain hemorrhage.

♪ >> she was 58 years old. her song "poetry man" was one ever the biggest hits of the 1970's. she later dropped out of the music business to care for her severely brain damaged daughter. three days away from the royal wedding in london and british tabloids are speculating on how much the elaborate affair will cost. by some estimates security costs $32 million plus another million or so for things like the bride's dress, wedding cakes, flowers, invitations, music, food and the honeymoon and the price tag could hit almost $70 million. some economists say the big day could also boost the british economy by as much as a billion dollars through tourism and the sale of souvenirs. you can watch the royal wedding here live. our coverage starts at 2:00 a.m. this friday, april 29. and if you're not near your tv,

you can watch a live web stream of the event on ktvu.com. this morning the santa clara county board of supervisors approved a ban on plastic bags that ban will apply to 56 stores in unincorporated areas across the county. the mercury news says the county has been considering the ban for the last two years. it excludes restaurants, fast food chains or nonprofit groups and it will allow plastic bags for things like produce, meat, frozen foods, bakery items, prescription drugs, and newspapers. san jose passed a similar law earlier this year. this one will take effect january 1. ahead some great news for u.s. car company. a very unwelcome surprise for a woman when she steps into her bathroom.

taking a live look at the big board on wall street, wall street is rallying as the s&p and dow hit the highest levels of the year after positive corporate news resulting in optimism, including good news from ford and 3-m and consumer confidence. the nasdaq up 24. s&p up 12. today ford motor company reported first quartzer earnings that beat -- quarter earnings that beat wall street predictions. it's its best first quarter since 1998. rising prices of steel and other commodities has increased its costs but it is making that

up by raising prices an average of $117 per vehicle. a palmetto, florida woman made a surprising discovery in her bathroom. she found a six foot long gator on the floor. it entered through a doggie door. animal control captured the gator and hauled it away. the woman believes the gator was hungry and may have been after her cats. tickets for the next round of the nhl playoffs went on sale a couple of hours ago at the shark tank. it all comes after the sharks secured their spot last night. >> they score. the sharks win the series in overtime. >> it will be decided tonight if the sharks will face detroit or chicago in the semifinals of the western confrence. coming up on ktvu channel 2 news at 5:00, it's a gloomy day at san jose city hall where people are waiting for the ax to fall. some people have already been

demoted. others are waiting to learn if they'll still have a paycheck. find out how many pink slips will be handed out. that story coming up in our next newscast on ktvu channel 2 news at 5:00. thanks for watching. have a great day.

bree: sis, help me create my oasis. marcy: ok, romantic garden? bree: oh, is there a castle nearby? marcy: no, but there's a charming farmhouse. bree: right next to my posh castle! i'm sensing a theme here. well, i am the queen, dear sister.