one employee had a package and handed it off to another and immediately became sick. >> an evacuation all because of what was found at a post office. good afternoon. i'm maureen naylor. thank you for joining us. tori campbell is off. within the last hour and a half we learned more about a yellow powder that shut down the main post office in downtown san jose and sickened

several employees. christien kafton is there live where the streets are back open arbeing shut down for several hours this morning. >> reporter: yeah, maureen. the streets are reopened. clearly, the -- the post office. the workers are, once again, handling mail. you can see customers in the distance. this post office was closed for nearly two and a half hours after that substance leaked from the package. a spokesperson told me an now and a half ago what that substance was. >> the good news, it turned out to be some type of herbal remedy that a customer had ordered for vietnam from one of his children, i understand. >> reporter: before the investigation revealed what the substance was, postal workers weren't taking any chances. two workers, a man and a woman, initially complained of sore throats and headache after handling the leaking package. a third worker, a man, was not sickened but was isolated. >> three patient, all three

them were emergency deaconed. there's a tent. you have to strip down their clothes and scrub them down. >> reporter: the entire post os was evacuated -- post office was evacuated. eventually the post office said finding out what spilled was a simple matter of tracking down the intended recipient. >> it had an address on it. we were able to send someone over there and let him know we had his package. he needed to come down here. they may have even escorted him here. i don't know. >> reporter: and they have post- it notices to make sure the packages that the customers send are safe. the postal clerk was not able to say exactly what it is that spilled but he did stress it

was a herbal remedy. the post office is back open. the mail will be delivered today. we've been updating this story on our news and website. so be sure and check your phones as well. christien kafton, kut kut ktvu news. we're learning more about the suspect in the five kills. binh thy luc was to be deported to vietnam but they would not take him back. we're getting new developments in the case of san francisco sheriff ross mirkarimi. he filed a petition to overturn

his suspension. the filing claims the false imprisonment ins its -- incident before he was sheriff -- happened before he was sheriff. >> i haven't read it and i probably will not be able to comment on anything too do with the -- to do with the mirkarimi appeal only because i think it's in the hands of the ethics commission. and they have a process to go through. the -- >> the ethics commission has not set a date for a hearing yet. right now, volunteers are searching for sierra lamar. ail -- allie rasmus is live with more. >> reporter: and volunteer organizers are amazed by the turnout. so far, more than 500 people

have shown up at their headquarters to help. cutting back brush over seven feet tall, one of the first volunteer search groups headed out. the goals this week is to search within a 20-mile radius of sierra's mom. >> i'm a mom. >> reporter: sierra disappeared on march 16th on her way to school. san francisco investigators have found no evidence of a crime or leads on her whereabouts. the klass kids foundation is organizing this effort to find more clues. by 9:00 this morning, the line to volunteer was out the stare. >> we figured it was something -- out the door. >> we figured it was something good to do for spring break if you are gonna spend your time productive. >> reporter: michael le is involved in the organizing.

this group found his sister last year. >> it hurts so much. all of the emotions are fresh. it hurts but it feels so good because it's a labor of love. >> reporter: on the trail, anything seen documented. they leave it alone, mark the area where it was found and notify investigators. and volunteers will continue their work every day until sunday. they plan to meet every morning at 8:00 a.m. at burnett elementary school. back to you. >> thank you for the update. turning now to storm watch. the wind and rain are returning to the bay area today if you have been outside at all. steve paulson says the storm is supposed to be at its peak this afternoon into the evening. the weather has already caused delays for some travelers. sfo began a flow control by 8:00 a.m. and by 9:00, there were delays.

other bay area airports are not reporting significant delays. meanwhile, the california highway patrol also issued a wind advisory this morning for the bay bridge. here is a live look outside. and you can see the camera bouncing around. the wind warning went into effect at 4:00 this morning. drivers are cautioned to be aware especially if driving those high-profile vehicles. and in the last few hours, the supreme court justices started to tackle the key debate and several are criticizing the law's mandate for insurance coverage. alison burns has more. >> reporter: maureen, it looks like president obama's healthcare overhaul is in trouble. >> realwomen by their own -- real women buy their own birth

control pills! >> reporter: the justices seemed to side with the opponents of the law. they also asked if the government can force the american people to eat broccoli. anthony kennedy said it's unprecedented for the federal government to impose a duty upon people to buy a product. here's some sound from the court released just a few hours ago. >> and here the government is saying that the federal government has a duty to tell the individual citizen that it must act. that changes the relationship of the federal government to the individual in a very fundamental way. >> i love obama care! >> reporter: now, supporters of the law are trying to sound optimistic, noting that the other justices were more sim a thit ecto the 40 million americans who don't have health insurance. back live now in front of the u.s. supreme court, there's still quite a few demonstrators hours after these arguments wrapped up today. tomorrow the justices are going

to tackle the issue of whether the health law reform could stand if this mandatory insurance requirement is struck down. reporting live from washington, d.c., alison burns, ktvu news. in our political watch, mitt romney continues his swing through california with a breakfast fund-raiser in stockton. protesters held signs and rallied outside this morning's fund-raiser. supporters said $1,000 a plate to attend the 500-seat breakfast. rival rick santorum is scheduled to bring his campaign to northern california with fund-raising events in both alamo and fairfield on thursday. the parents of trayvon martin are expected at a racial profile hearing on capitol hill today. they are not expected to testify. about their -- but their attorney is among the witnesses. we're also hearing more details

about martin's death. there are reports that gary zimmerman told police that he was walking back to his vehicle when martin attacked him. gary zimmerman said he was trying out for help as martin smashed his head on the phone. martin's family says it was the teen screaming for help. a man was stabbed outside of his office in menlo park last night. sources say the victim was stabbed multiple times outside his office on alma near the cow station sometime last night. police say they were notified about the attack around 4:30 and talked to the victim at stanford hospital. >> we're looking in to it. we have to determine a time line. the victim has given a statement but we want to reinterview the victim and some other people that may be in the area. >> this morning investigators combed the scene looking for evidence. the victim remains in the hospital said to be in stable

condition. school officials are sending a warning out about a man who tried to lure two girls to his car. the girls said no and he kept following them asking if they wanted a ride. >> it's very important that, knows about it. just because he's here in concord doesn't mean he's not in martinez or pleasant hill or walnut creek. administrators say they have also notified concord police who are looking into the house. of course it's not safe, it has not been safe since we've been down there. but that's part of occupy. >> why some are worried about their safety during the occupy in a bay area city. and steve paulson is up with specifics on this gray weather outside. just how much rain can you expect starting this afternoon and continuing for a while.

and a controversy after a winning lottery ticket was bought at a bay area store and a woman who said she made a very expensive mistake.

what do you think of this one? really? what's this? this is a rose i made from a turnip. let's try together. perfect. two worlds that fit in one kitchen. come in today and save up to 20% on a kitchen from ikea. occupy protesters in san francisco are boosting their own security after a second stabbing at the newest

encampment. re-occupy protesters are camped out in -- out in front. federal office on market street. a protester was stabbed by a nonprotester. it happened last night when the protester tried to pull away the other. >> i quote an unnamed officer that we can neither help nor hinder your internal operations. so they are not there to help us when we're in trouble. >> both victims are scheduled to be okay. one was stabbed in the chest. a new poll shows american's support for the war in afghanistan has dropped sharply. the latest "new york times poll" indicates 9% of those surveyed believe the u.s. should not be involved in the war on afghanistan. just four months ago, 53% held that opinion. when people were asked how they think the war is going, 58%

think the fighting is going somewhat badly or very badly, compared to 42% who held that opinion in november. leon panetta says the recent killing of troops are sporadic kills and don't represent a trend. he made these comments in canada where he's meeting with canadian hand mexican de -- defense officials. an analysis shows that peg's pipeline data sheets -- pg and e's pipeline data sheets were running higher than the utility could justify. it also found crucial records about that pipe missing. under federal law companies missing informs about that pipe must assume they are the lowest grade and thun them accordingly

-- and run them accordingly. the company that makes the "pink slime" is suspending operations at three of its four factories. beef products incorporated is shutting down its plants in texas, kansas and iowa. the tree factories make 900,000 pounds of textured beef each day. the closures come after public outcry about the meat that includes ammonia treated filler made of beef bits. the federal recently said school lunch programs could opt out of buying product. a hayward woman was arrested after being pulled over three times for feeding. police say she was caught twice saturday night driving more than 100 miles an hour. she was issued citations both times and then she was pull over for a third time for driving 76 miles an hour in a

53 mile-an-hour zone. the chp says she was then arrested for -- because her disregard for pub rick safety -- public safety. starting this fall, students who take the s.a.t.s will face strict new anti- cheating measures. test applicants will have to commit photo i.d.s. the change has come after the rest of 20 students in new york in an alleged seat cheating scheme. some people were paid $3500 to take the exam for others. east bay law enforcement leaders spent time with kindergarteners today. >> how fun i get to read today with you. have you read this back before? >> nancy o'malley had the children help with the reading. she was joined by oakland police chief howard jordan in the release of a report showing the local impact of planned funding cuts.

they say with 7.8 billion spent on housing criminals just $784 million is being spent on high quality early education. well, the north bay is getting the rain. every where else it's cloudy and windy. very windy conditions this morning and that's still a blustery pattern. but dark, om-- dark omnious -- ominous clouds. by this evening, everyone will be in on the rain. this is a very warm system. you can see how from about san francisco north on live stormtracker 2 it just continues to march in. and that's why the north bay has been getting the most rain. that's why up to the county. santa rosa over .50. st. helena, almost .03. some of the totals there are

good. south of that there's hardly anything at all. tuesday through sunday shows the jet stream is starting to lift a little bit. and as it does, it will send in totals to the north coast. north bay in line for 5 inches of rain between now and, say, the end of the week. there's already been locations in heeledsburg -- healdsburg. again, this is a mild system. so winter storm warning starts at 5:00 p.m. that snow level will be up around 6,000 feet and may be higher for a while until the system starts to move in. we have to wait for this back edge to move in. that won't be until the evening. some of the projected rainfall totals will start to add up for the santa cruz mountains. they will be much more than this. already we're seeing about .50 to 3 inches there.

so everyone will eventually see the rain and also the snow. the sierra storm warning, cloudy for many. rain to the north bay. highest gusts. these are mild temperatures. so 50s for almost everybody. very, very low 60s. mild conditions that southeast wind down towards the santa clara valley. rain comes in. into wednesday, a break thursday. rain in the north bay on friday and then another system on saturday. it should clear out on sunday. >> thank you. megamillions fever is sweeping california and other states. tonight's jackpot is the third largest jackpot in history. $360million is up for the draw. the lucky numbers are drawn at 8:00 p.m. the retailer who sells the

winning ticket could pocket $1 million. a dispute is brewing in mountain view over a winning lottery ticket worth $260,000. it involves a whom already won a million dollars from a previous ticket bought in january and the -- at the same liquor store. since that win, emily says she's been sharing her good fortune. she says last friday, she was at the same store to buy another lottery ticket and that's when she won $100. she also gave the man a megamillions ticket worth $280,000 and she says that was a mistake and she wants the ticket back. when we come back, a check on consumer confidence and the effect that high gas prices are having. and the story that could make you want to stand up for your health.

welcome back. taking a look at the big board in new york, stocks are not seeing the triple-digit gains that we saw yesterday. the quarter ends on friday. a couple of reports out. but currently, numbers have been slightly down but not too much. the dow is down 14. the nasdaq is up 4. s&p is down 1. comrm confidence in the economy slipped last month as americans grapple with high gas prices. the consumer confidence index fell from 76.1 to 70.2. that comes after the optimistic

february report when consumer confidence hit its highest level in the year. analysts blame the high gas prices. you may want to stand up after you hear about this new search about sitting too much. a new study says people who spend 11 or more hours a day sitting are 40% more likely to die over the next three years. the data came from australian researchers who studied more than 220,000 people 45 years and older. researchers found regardless of how physically active you are, prolonged sitting will raise your mortality risk. it can also lead to diabetes, cancer. we've just gotten words that dozens of departing and arriving flights at sfo have been canceled. that at 5:00 and we'll continue our storm coverage all day. that will do it for this

report. thanks for trusting ktvu channel 2 news. we'll see you the next time news breaks. until then, stay dry, stay warm. have a good day.