him might recognize him. there are a number of crews searching for him. jade hernandez is on the ground. moments ago we received information about a string of fires. this is one of 55 fires they have had to deal with in two days. it broke out at the open space reserve. this map shows the neighborhoods are being targeted. noelle walker tells us why authorities think the fires are connected. >> reporter: having one out here with these conditions being so dry is nerve wacking. why is why police and fire will have extra on patrol. >> i smelled fire. there are two things they would rather do without, fire and fear.

>> very scary. >> reporter: an arsonist struck again, setting 24 small fires over night. and it is next to her home. >> i was reading in the paper this morning about the fires that happened. i thought, i hope they -- please don't come out here. because it scares us. a lot. >> reporter: yet here they are. 55 fires in 48 hours is enough to make a lot of people nervous. investigators say all are the same type of burn. that added to the morning hours they are starting and a lack of weather related conditions, leads police to one conclusion. >> probably all linked together. >> reporter: police and fire departments have extra crews and equipment on duty trying to catch whoever is starting the fires. something cal fire says is a concern in this dry winter. >> the fact we are having fires

that are igniting in january is unusual. >> one way in and one way out and hardly any crime. >> just again, the new information we have learned, firefighters now say 55 fires in the past 48 hours. initially they thought it was 30 fires. they just upped the number to 55. they think all of these fires are connected. the cause of a fire at an apartment complex was accidental. the fire broke out at 1:45. flames shot 30 feet into the air. 40 had to be evacuated. one almost didn't make it out alive. she was shaved by a neighbor -- saved by a neighbor.

>> we were behind that tree and everybody heard screaming. there is a lady still in there. >> reporter: what did you do? >> ran through there and got her. >> investigators say the cause is accidental, they are looking into the fire was a space heater inside the apartment. ed lee wastes no time announcing his choice to replace the eat on the board of super visors. the mayor named christina olague. she was then sworn in during a ceremony this morning. christina olague is the former president of the san francisco -- planning commission >> we are the city for everyone. our priorities are clear. we need focus on jobs and smart economic development for all neighborhoods. >> child abuse hotline will

represent district 5. the man who represented that district, started his new job today, but he begins his work with -- in his words a cloud hanging over him. they are investigating allegations he abused his wife. a neighbor gave police video and texass that she says -- texts that she says he hurt his wife during an argument. she was at his side yesterday. at 5:30, ktvu's rob roth has been with the sheriff all afternoon. on friday she plead no contest for shoplifting. she was arrested in october on a felony charge of stealing $2,500 in merchandise. her attorney says her behavior was effected by a brain tumor.

today she said i accept responsibility and offer apologies. i want to thank my fam and colleague its -- my family and colleague for the support. president obama accepted the resignation of his chief of staff and appointed the white house budget director to the post. >> he helped strengthen our economy and stream line the government when we need tokeep our recovery coming. >> jack lew is the new chief of staff. he replaces bill daley who is leaving. >> it was too great. and -- >> bill daley will serve as co- chair of president obama's

reelection campaign. 24 hour away from knowing who will win the first primary in new hampshire. ktvu's ken pritchett is in new hampshire where he followed john huntsman, newt gingrich and rick santorum. that is where ken is now. good evening, ken. >> reporter: frank, you see town hall, john huntsman wrapped up a rally here. he has long way to go and ron paul. they are vying for second place or a strong showing tomorrow with mitt romney way out in the lead. the question tomorrow for candidates is will this rally be his last or will he do well enough to continue on in his fight for the nomination. >> reporter: a very small and scenic new hampshire town. john huntsman made a stop here.

>> how is everybody doing? >> reporter: john huntsman spent his entire campaign effort in new hampshire. >> i wanted to meet the candidate. i am looking at him and mitt romney and it is between the two for me. >> reporter: john huntsman needs more like her. a poll shows mitt romney with a 33% lead. ron paul in second. john huntsman surged to 13%. 12% of voters remain undecided. john huntsman and newt gingrich took swipes at mitt romney. >> i think a reagan conservative has a better chance of defeating a left wing president. >> reporter: rick santorum absent from new hampshire yesterday. he was not raising

expectations. >> we started out great with rick perry. and we are not there anymore. we feel good about that. >> reporter: well, we were essentially all over new hampshire today. rallies, campaign events, town halls and with the end of the events here with john huntsman, that essentially is the end of it. the next campaign events we will see will be after the primary tomorrow night after the vote is in. in new hampshire, ken pritchett, ktvu channel 2 news. mitt romney spent his day defending a remark about firing people. he made the comment in new hampshire. he was promoting freedom of choice in healthcare decisions. >> i want individuals to have their own insurance.

>> mitt romney's rivals pounced on him. john huntsman said he enjoys firing people. i enjoy creating jobs. with ktvu channel 2 news and www.ktvu.com we will bring you complete coverage on new hampshire primary. three new pipeline bills aimed at ensuring pg&e never compromises safety again. ktvu's consumer editor tom vacar is live. >> reporter: they are rebuilding here but the political aftermath burns on and on. >> pg&e doesn't have a possession yet but we are supportive of any efforts to enhance pipeline safety. >> reporter: one bill ties profits to its safety performance. >> just like any other contract cam involved in now, if you

don't come through you don't get paid. >> people listen to money. >> reporter: another bill requires them to implement safety recommendations of the national transportation safety board. >> absolutely. the third bill grants employments whistle blower ezprotections when they -- baltimore protections when they report violations. >> when they think their employer is jeopardizing public safety. >> if you want them to step forward you have to provide protection. they are regular people like you and me, looking to do the right thing. >> reporter: the law has a serious deterrent. >> because, you know, violation of the rules would have a criminal consequence. >> reporter: pg&e's policy prohibits any type of

retaliation for employees who raise concerns about workers who are not following the rules. >> they should not be fired for that. doing the right thing is the best thing. >> great idea. i think that will help our communities be safer. >> reporter: hearings on the bill began this afternoon. reporting live, consumer editor tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. borrowing went up in november by the largest amount in 10 years. that was the word today. consumers added $24 billion. this shows people are encouraged by the new unemployment rate which has finally been dropping. stocks edged higher today.

a loss that met expectations. the dow jones industrial average closed up 32.77 points at 12,392.69. the nasdaq composite index rose 2.34 to 2,676.56. the lawsuit that hopped the police department is finally going to trial. 7 black officers are accusing the chief and a deputy of discrimination when it comes to promotions and they accuse them of telling racist jokes. the chef denies all of the allegations. some say the officers have a problem with him because he is white, gay and hired from the outside. attorneys debated the ground rules today. the trial is expected to last through april. police chiefs shared a moment of indition this morning when a fire alarm went off at usf. they were gathferred a leadership conference and san francisco's police chief just

begun his speech when the alarm went off. >> we got to go? [ laughter ] >> there sacouple seconds of hesitation and then an official said yes, they did have to go outside. it turned out to be phage alarm. -- a false alarm. 49er fans got a chance to buy seats that new stadium. we will tell you how much the best seats cost. more on the breaking news from santa reesea prison. there are reports -- rita prison. there are reports that an inmate escaped. we will have late information coming up after the break. in the five-day forecast, there is a couple light rain drops. i will show you those and your forecast. see you back here. t? no. is it a jet plane? nope. is it a dinosaur? [ laughs ] [ male announcer ] inside every box of heart healthy cheerios are those great tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol.

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. a big rig blocked traffic this afternoon on westbound highway 24. the accident happened at 1:30.

it was scaring scrap metal that spilled over the run way. caltrans had the road cleared by 4:15. more on breaking news in the east bay. the search for an escaped inmate from the santa rita prison. ktvu's jade hernandez is live. >> reporter: you can see police behind us. this is where the block ade is. there is a thorough search going on right now. this is what we know so far. three hours ago, around 2:00 this afternoon a male inmate escaped here from the santa rita prison. we have been told authorities have a chopper scouring the area and they are searching the vicinity. as i mentioned and you saw,

road blocks are up. we do have a picture of the man. he is 5'8", brown eyes, black hair. 56-year-old male. the sheriff's office says he returned from court today and then disappeared. >> most recent charge is for burglary out of oakland. 57 years old and he has -- other than the burglary, that is his most serious charge in his whole life. >> reporter: as i mentioned earlier, he returned from court today and a jail employee noticed he was gone from the booking area. no injuries to report at this hour and no one was hurt and no one is sure how he escaped but he did and he is still on the loose. the sheriff's office is looking for him. we will continue to update you

from the santa rita prison. our first look at how much it will cost to seat in the 49ers new stadium. 34678 janine de la vega says the tickets are expensive. >> reporter: i am standing in the parking lot of the new 49ers stadium. construction crews will be here in the next couple of weeks but several blocks away, fans are wowed by sale reps. >> reporter: he didn't think he could be seats. >> my first thoughts were i am going to a funeral. i thought that because we had these tickets for a long time. our seats are on the front row. >> reporter: right now they pay

$179 a seat. in the new stadium, $350 a seat. they were one of dozens of season ticket holders who were shown models of the stadium. >> appointments are booked up. >> reporter: they have the best view in the stadium. if you want one, you have to buy life time ownership of the seize, 20-$30,000. >> 30 grand for our seats? >> time two. . >> 60 grand. >> what you get is ownership of the seat. the ability to transfer it. the ability to resell it. >> reporter: they haven't signed anything yet. right now they have four season tickets. >> i don't want it to end. >> we like the 9ers. >> and it helps that they are doing so good. >> reporter: construction cruise will be doing prep work

later this month in the parking lot. the ground breaking is slated for the spring. reporting live, janine de la vega, ktvu channel 2 news. president obama may cheer for his home town bulls but today he saluted the mavericks. the president accepted a jersey from dirk nowitzki. he said, too bad it will be the chicago bulls here next year but he called them the team with a heart that is the size of texas. >> they know how good teams win. not just by jumping higher or running faster but by finding the open man. working together. menally tough, supportive, playing smarter. >> one member of the team was

absent. delonte west didn't past the back ground check. experts sent food traps in the hopes of finding an injured seagull. it became snagged in a fishing lurer. several people spotted the bird over the weekend. volunteers tried to trap the bird so it could be freed from the lure. remember that red tailed hawk? we have an update on how it is doing later. over to bill, it is spectacular out there. >> crazy. here we are in january. the weather around here does -- like summer. day time highs into the 60s. plenty of sunshine. what is happening now, first we felt guilty about it and now people are embracing it.

lots of golfing. bike riding. unusual weather for this time of year. i have seen patterns like this. not very often. there is a weak weather system knocking on our door. it could bring us a sprinkle tomorrow. bumping up against this ridge of high pressure. it extends out to the pacific. it grows over the next few days. and it is going towards the north. when you look out into had pacific, look at that, in a normal winter, i go, here comes this one, we will get rain, that is what that would bring normally but it is bumping into the high pressure and -- see. this is vancouver. it is going the wrong way. instead of going through the bay area, they are going into alaska and canada so we are

high and dry. a slight chance of sprinkles tomorrow. but right now, tomorrow morning, temperatures on the cool side. a few clouds. not as cool as this morning. santa rosa 20s today. 20s in the napa valley. still chilly but the increasing clouds and slight chance of a sprinkle tomorrow keeps things warmer. when i say slight chance of a sprinkle, don't cancel your plans. you will be fine. this is almost another nonevent. tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. there is the rain. 10th of an inch. watch what happens as we get teen noon time. fizzles out. when i come back, five-day forecast, searching for rain and we will talk about highs for tomorrow. we will look at your bay area weekend. see you back here. the government gives, the government takes away.

200million coming to the bay area to cover storm damage and they are eliminating two school grant programs. the impact that may have on certain students.

the government announced today it is handing out $182 million to pay for storm damage in 2004 and 2005. part of a package to fix roads and bridges damaged by natural

disasters. some of that money reimburses local governments. the nation schools are about to take a hit. lawmakers are slashing education grants. a move that will be felt in san francisco classrooms. >> harder to improve overall academic achievement. >> congress is cutting 2 federal grant programs for school districts nationwide. one funds history lesskins the other helps pay for foreign language classes. it will hilt schools at a time when they are reeling from state cuts. >> it will result in increased class sizes at local levels, reductions of afterschool programs. -- after school programs.

>> they help children development and enrich the language skills. officials say those programs are at risk. other schools across the country used the money to expand or continue language and history classes after losing state and local funding. his first day on the job as sheriff. our cameras are there. what he says about taking the reins while an investigation is underway. a protest in oakland leaves one business boarded up and changes in police strategy. ñw?

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complete bay area news coverage continues, this is ktvu channel 2 news at 5:00. there is a new sheriff in

the city and while his is a familiar name he brings in a new style of leadership. his first day was clouded by domestic violence against his wife. ktvu's rob roth is live where he spent time with the new sheriff. >> reporter: we sat down with him two hours ago and he appeared calm and confidence and says he is hitting the ground running despite the allegations. >> reporter: he held meetings with his staff today as he begins his first day of sheriff. the district attorney is investigating whether to bring charges against him for domestic violence against his wife but he says he has a job to do. >> i am not going to let anything interrupt that. at the time, have the mindfulness of allowing this unfortunate situation that has occurred to play itself out because i have to. >> reporter: he and his wife

deny any violence occurred. he has political enemies and the union backed around candidate. he said the allegations are politically driven. >> reporter: what do you fell the deputies about this? what are you telling them? >> we are a evidence based industry. part of law enforcement is evidence based and this does not detour from my ability to lead. >> any sheriff if he were to continue to be sheriff, be reelected, could take care of the popularity problem. >> reporter: he prepared for prisoners being turned over to counties. >> we are beginning to see a larger population of homeless and people on the streets who suffer, who are implicated in

the criminal justest system. our unit is ilstaffed. >> reporter: he says the allegation are a private matter. he said a decision whether to bring charges against him could come later this week. rob roth, ktvu channel 2 news. we have sad news tonight from city hall. officials announced that city clerk deanna despain died over the weekend. the city did not offer further details about her death. a tally showed that more states are allows medical marijuana but more local communities are banning them. 17 states now permit doctors to write prescriptions for marijuana. but here in california, 200 city and county governments banned them over the past eight

years. that as the girl continues to target them. coming up at 6:00 on ktvu channel 2 news we will take you to san franciscoers where backers are protesting. police are considering a change in their policy after an "occupy oakland" protest turned viland over the -- violent over the weekend. >> reporter: we are a block away from the target of the protest. one of the casualties is this starbucks. as you can see the windows are still boarded up. >> reporter: today outside city hall. >> we are fed up with living in fear of the people who are supposed to protect and serve us. >> reporter: he claims the bruises to his leg and side are a result of police action

saturday night. >> he told me to drop my stick. >> reporter: police couldn't comment on the allegations but said all incidents will be investigated. and there were necessary uses of forces saturday night. >> the march had a good cause in the beginning. then it got riled up through cowardly acts. >> reporter: police and occupiers say were done by an arkests who broke windows, slashed tired and even our ktvu was spray painted. >> we can't stop an individual from taking those actions. >> reporter: six people were arrested. one of the arrested was in possession of dynamite. and with that threat, future protesters will be dealt with differently. >> this group saturday will require a change in our police

strategies to address violent behavior. >> reporter: organizers say the march is called stp, stands for a four letter cuss word and then followed by the word police. paul chambers, # ktvu channel 2 ktvu channel 2 news. occupy san jose protesters are attending a rally right now in the city hall rotunda. it is to show support for causes and struggles. some groups attending are the naacp. civil rights groups are demanding new york city take down the barricades around a park for the occupy protestors. they have been up since november. that park is a private plaza and according to city zoning law is required to be open 24

hours a day. a consultant is recommending police cuts and tax hikes. the city manager will ask tomorrow to approve $400,000 in cuts. they include elimination of police management jobs and jobs and s.w.a.t. he also suggests increasing parking fees and hotel taxes. the u.n. nuclear agency is confirming iran is producing enriched uranium. officials say it is enriched to 20%, that is higher than production that main plant and allows for an easy upgrade to weapons grade material. iran says it is needed to

produce fuel for a reactor in the use of cancer. the white house demanded iran release a former u.s. marine who has been sentenced to death for spying. they found him guilty and spying for the cia. today the white house called on iran to give him access to legal counsel and set him free. >> they have a history, as you know, of falsely accusing people. >> he was arrested in august while visiting relatives. gas prices have been going up but that is nothing compared to what some think we will be paying this summer. tonight, the new problem that taking them could create. and more live coverage on the breaking news. the inmate who escaped from

santa rita prison. there are check points. and we just got new information from the sheriff, what he told us when we come back. [ male announcer ] ziploc presents ziplogic. ♪ 4 pounds of sirloin. but only wrap half... i'll just throw it out anyway. [ male announcer ] we throw out over $500 in food every year. help save more of it with ziploc freezer bags featuring new, improved smartzip. edge to edge protection you can hear. now that's ziplogic.

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news chopper two is gibbing you a look at a check point outside of santa rita prison. north side of 580. 2:00 they got a call that someone wearing jail clothing was seen leaving the jail area. we have a better picture to show you of the man missing. he is missing from the jail and has escaped. he was in jail on carrying a concealed weapon. there is a search in the east bay. we will bring you more information as we get it coming up on ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00. gas prices have been heading up. the annal price was $3.37 today. up 10 cents.

in the bay area, up 6 cents. paying $3.70 a gallon. we should expect to pay a dollar more by this summer. the north american international auto show named the elan ruas the car of the year. they likedilities gas mileage. it is rated at 40 miles a gallon. a side effect for cholesterol lowering drugs called statins. they may increase some people's a chances ofdwe type 2 diabetes. scientists are puzzled by the link. despite the new information, people who most need stattens should stick with the drugs. if you have excedrin, nodoz, bufferin and gas-x you should check those packages.

the fda is warning patients about a mix up between pain drugs and over-the-counter medications. it comes from novartis. they are recalling the drugs. all the bottles have an expiration date of december 20, 2014 or earlier. it is fall out from the lack of snow in the sierra. what shop owners are complaining about. and i am tracking clouds into the area for your tuesday. will they leave some rain behind? [ male announcer ] get ready for some deli-style delic-ious-ity:

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. all right. look at these pictures. there isn't a lot of snow in the sierra. they sent their helicopter to take a sky tour. you can see almost no snow there on the hills in the sierra and that lack of snow mean as lack of money for stores that sell ski gear. they are running a drought sale. skis are almost never on sale in january. >> sales reps are all very -- they know they won't get reorders. the question is to put things on sale or sit on them and wait till next year. >> white house says they will continue -- he says he will

continue with sales till there is six inches of snow. a group drafted a bill of rights and plans to push it here in california. the proposal would include a provision that large sports programs cover all medical expenses for athletes and sets up a state fund to give aid to athletes. an update on the rescue from golden gate park last fall that had a nail through its beak. someone spotted the hawk and it seems to be thriving. last fall they captured the hawk in golden gate park and nursed it and released it. they need more volunteers to help. they are holding a training class this weekend. to find out more visit www.ktvu.com. let's talk about the

pictures. bill, have you ever seen something like that in january? no. that was donner summit. that is the highest ski resort in the area. they were able to make a lot of snow. interesting how the hill was full of snow, as soon as they panned out, pine trees. dry ground. temperatures outside today, 67 degrees in santa rosa. tough to make snow. warm up there. they are making snow. you want very cold day time temperatures too. they are not getting snow. they feed that water into the lines and blow water vapor into the air and it becomes snow but they are running out of water. the holding ponds. in the pacific, lot of

activity. we might see a sprinkful us tomorrow morning. no big deal. outdoor activities, your kids, chilly when you get going but it won't be enough to keep you from running a mile. it will be light sprinkles at best and probably won't measure in the rain gages. forecast for tomorrow, increased clouds, sprinkles, day time highs n stead of upper sinths, low 60 -- upper 60s. low 60s. seen similar patterns like this. couple times in the last 25 years. here is the next one that will miss us. tomorrow morning, 8:00 a.m., right? there it goes. right by. high pressure builds back in. these are the highs for tomorrow. lots of upper 50s, low 60s.

62 in san jose. 62 morgan hill. interesting weather pattern for the bay area. we will see what happens. there is your five-day forecast with your bay area weekend in view. enjoyable weather for sure. you know, boy, we are in uncharted waters. >> i think we moved from guilt to embracing it. >> thank you. low key and private. that is how the future queen of england is spending her 30th birthday. last night was the opposite of private. kate middleton and prince william attended the premier of war horse in london. as walls what she wore was all the talk in britain. a full length evening gown. no details on how she spent her day. beyonce and jay-z are kern firming the birth of their baby

girl. blue ivy is doing well but other parents aren't doing so well. they are saying they received special treatment. >> they should have got more strategic to where they put her. you are going to take over the hospital like you own it? >> there were reports they paid a million dollars to rent the entire wing and the hospital says that is thought true.

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the golden gate bridge will turn 75 years old and today they unveiled to celebrate for one of the most famous land marks. >> there is something unique and even magical about this bridge. and that magic goes beyond the engineering of its construction. >> everywhere you go people tell you stories about how they love the bridge. >> officials talked about the anniversary. it opened in may of 1937. the celebration is set for may 25 through may 27. displays of boats and cars,

music, dancing and fire works and throughout the year, groups and businesses will stage tributes to the bridge. >> in schools, at universities, libraries, art organizations and children's groups and more. >> the district is also building a new welcome pavilion and improving walk ways near the bridge. one event you won't see is a bridge walk. remember in 1987, the bridge was closed to vehicles vehicles and you see what happened 300,000 people surged on to the bridge which flattened the bowed shape and no bridge toles will pay for any of the events. funding comes from sponsors including wells fargo and hewlett-packard. coming up, the government is stelling in to deal with the labor dispute of red vine's

candy. plus only on 2, ktvu's david stevenson uncovered what a rapist told police about the series of sexual assaults in the mission district. the clues that led police to this man.

developing news where a suspect escaped from santa rita prison. where he was spotted and the massive response to find him. someone spent two days setting fires in the north bay. why some of the fires are dangerous right now. complete bay area news coverage starts right now, this is ktvu channel 2 news at 6:00. good evening. i am julie haener. >> i am frank somerville. in the past 10 minutes we learned new information about the man san francisco police arrested for a series of rapes in the mission district. only on 2 tonight, ktvu's david stevenson is live in san francisco where he just heard from san francisco school officials who ran the suspect's name through their system. david? >> reporter: within the last few minutes we were able to confirm the suspect worked for the san francisco school district. and we learned why police say they believe they