new information about a missing patient found dead inside a stairwell at san francisco general hospital. the clock is ticking. only 36 hours remain until the governor-ordered 60-day coolingoff period expires. we'll tell you about the last- minute negotiations going on right now. the hot and dry conditions inspect sierra are already gone and now ski resorts and drivers are already talking about the snow. we'll tell you where it's expected to fall.

good afternoon. i'm tori campbell. we have new information about the death of a patient at san francisco general whose body was found in a stairwell yesterday. officials call the situation devastating, while a family spokesman accused the hospital in failing in its duty. brian flores is in san francisco where an emotional news conference just wrapped up 30 minutes ago. >> reporter: the family of 57- year-old lynne spalding said ever since she went missing after being admitted here at san francisco general hospital, incompetence been an emotion -- it's been an emotion roller coaster. a press conference end ed 30 minutes ago -- ended 30 minutes ago. hospital officials and sf jen. they say have enough information -- and sf general. they say they have enough

information to determine it's lynne spalding. they notified her 23-year-old daughter that they were fairly certain it was lynn. the body was found in a rarely- used stairwell. she was admitted use of a bladder infection. but went missing 17 days ago. the hospital says this has never happened and are cooperating with the investigation. >> our hearts go out to the family and friends of lynne spalding. her disappearance has ended in tragedy. at this time we don't know what happened. we're here to provide patient care and security to family and patients each year. nothing like this has ever happened before. >> reporter: officials would not take questions from reporters during the press conference. only statements. that struck a cord with the

family's spokesperson who says sf general as well as the sheriff's department have a lot to answer to, including how often she was checked, what security pretoe kols were in place -- protocols were in praise and how she -- place and how she died. >> the pressing question, how a woman is missing for 17 days at sf general hospital. it share the -- i share the dismay. i do not doubt the feelings of sin terty. this is -- sincerity. this is a nightmare. >> reporter: san francisco sheriffs are leading the investigation and will re- examine procedures and protocols and gave the condolences to the family as well. the family spokesman said he's distraught that she died alone 17 days ago. a lot of questions about how this happened. we'll have a report at 5:00 and 6:00 on the ktvu news.

brian flores, ktvu channel 2 news. >> thank you, brian. a san francisco man suspected of running a massive drug trafficking website is being sent to new york to face felony charges. 29-year-old russ olebrick was arrested at a san francisco library last week. agencies says his website, silk road, brokered more than a billion dollars of illegal drug sales on the black market. in a brief hearing, a judge ordered him extradited to new york. prosecutors in that state have charged him with trying to solicit the murder of a canadian man who was allegedly trying to blackmail him. to the looming b.a.r.t. strike. there are 36 hours left now for b.a.r.t. and its unions to reach a contract agreement or else the workers could go on strike. with the 60-day coolingoff period about to expire, negotiators returned to the bargaining table this morning. it was a short turnaround after they stayed at the table late

last night. there are now indications the two sides may be close getting closer and the atmosphere has improved between the two sides. but negotiators would say little publicly this morning. >> from the mediator, we were asked not to divulge what's going on. we're gonna continue to work hard. >> the cooling-off period expires at midnight tomorrow. so the unions could go on strike as early as friday morning. many b.a.r.t. workers are taking a hard line in this dispute despite the apparent progress in the contract talks. [chanting] >> last night, about 100 b.a.r.t. workers and their supporters marched down oakland's grand avenue. they are urging b.a.r.t.'s union leaders to continue to strike hard for better way and benefits. the union workers are calling on the public to support them in their battle with b.a.r.t. management. but the prospect of another strike has outraged many

b.a.r.t. riders. holding -- >> holding people hostage. this is ridiculous. the people, the masses. it's unfair. this is enough. we're -- we've had it. >> recent polls show b.a.r.t. riders are unhappy with both sides in this labor dispute. but those same polls show they think b.a.r.t. management has made a far better case than the unions. stay with us for continuing coverage and follow us on twitter and facebook for the latest developments any time in the b.a.r.t. strike. santa rosa police chief tom shwedholm is stepping down. he spent 31 years with the santa rosa police department. he led the department through a time of financial uncertainty and divisiveness in the ranks. so far he has no immediately plans for his retirement. in vallejo, money to hire new police officers will go to street paving. the paper reports the hiring of

new officers is behind schedule and the city council unanimously approved the plan to shift $2.5 million from hiring officers to road repair and other projects. the police chief said diverting the funds will not hurt his hiring process. investigators are still trying to figure out what caused an early-morning crash that happened right in front of two chp officers. it happened about 1:40 a.m. on the central avenue offramp of westbound interstate 80 in el cerrito. the chp says two officers were in a construction zone on. highway when they spotted a van driving by with a flat tire. both officers were just about to pull out to make contact with the vehicle when they saw it lose control, hit the center divide and go over the embankment. >> they put out a little information over the radio and then all of a sudden, it was oh, hit the center divide. oh, went off the shoulder. >> the driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

the ramp opened back up to traffic just after 8:00 this morning. antioch police are investigating a deadly shooting last night. it happened around 8:00 on lopez drive near mission elementary school. so far, we only know the victim was 27 years old. his name has not been released yet. a berkeley apartment house fire sent several people running into the streets in the middle of the night. it started around midnight on carrison and san pablo. a witness said residents in the four-plex managed to escape because a neighbor screamed for everybody to get out. >> i can't go to sleep and i hear somebody banging on the door that their apartment is on fire. >> that woman told her roommate what was happening. they smelled the smoke, saw the flames. so they ran out. no injuries are reported. police are crediting a dog for sniffing out more than 100 pounds of marijuana from a south bay home during a drug raid yesterday. this is a picture of zeuss with some of the loot.

the 3-year-old black labrador trained by mountain view police is currently working for a santa clara county drug squad. in addition to the marijuana, authorities say zeuss also led them to cocaine and $75,000 in cash. happening now -- president obama is getting ready to introduce a former bay area professor who he plans to nominate as the head of the federal reserve system. if approved, dr. janet yellen would become the first woman in history to be in charge of the 100-year-old fed. we'll hear from the president on his choice later in this newscast. a stanford professor received exciting news in the middedle of the night. he won -- middle of the night. he won a nobel prize for his work that's being called groundbreaking. janine de la vega brings us his reaction. [ applause ] >> reporter: it was a surreal moment for professor michael levitt as he was greeted for applause -- with aplus -- with

applause for winning the nobel prize. >> we caught up with the 66- year-old early in the morning shortly after he received a phone call from the royal swedish academy of sciences at 2:00 a.m. informing him of the award. his wife was beaming with pride. >> he's such a modest person. he's an amazing scientist. really passionate about science. >> reporter: levitt describes himself as a computer good evening. colleagues call him a pioneer -- computer geek. colleagues call him a pioneer. levitt and the other two recipients laid the foundation for computer programs to simulate and predict chemical processes. it helped scientists research drugs and how they react to with the body. >> his work has provided us with a better understanding of how proteins interact with pharmaceutical drugs used in the treatment of many diseases. >> it's not like i now know this will solve the world's

problems. you never think that. it's more like each step leads the next step. you keep on working. you are passionate about what you do. >> reporter: he's the second professor from stanford school of medicine to win a nobel prize this week, bringing more prestige to the university. janine de la vega, ktvu channel 2 news. much -- more about the health alert -- coming up, more about the health alert about foster chickens and the salmonella. temperatures, still cool around the area. mark tamayo will be here to tell you how long it is expected to last. it's even in colder in the sierra where they are already dealing with some snow. we'll tell you where it is falling right now.

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seconds on saturday. now to our continuing coverage on the partial government shutdown. we've learned in the past 30 minutes that the gop is planning to send a small group to meet with president obama tomorrow. this information comes from the office of house speaker john boehner. meanwhile, san francisco's popular cliffhouse restaurant is closed again after opening earlier this week. it was closed last week because it sits on national park land. but then the orders decided to defy orders and reopen it. after gaining some attention, the owners will obey the order and stay closed until the shutdown is over. one federal operation that will not close during the partial government shutdown is the 9th circuit court of appeals. the chief judge has determined that the court staff is essential for the court to continue to hear and resolve cases, so they are not subject to furloughs. the court says it will stick to its calendar of oral arguments and the court will operate normally.

we're learning more about the impact of the government shutdown on a health scare involving salmonella-tainted chicken here in california. justin gray is live for us in washington, d.c., where he found the cdc is making some changes in response to the problem. justin? >> reporter: well, tori, less than a third of cdc staff are on duty. but because of the salmonella crisis, they are bringing back most of what they call their disease detectives. now, most -- the outbreak has spread to 300 people in 18 states. most of those, more than 200 of them are in california. the department of agriculture is in charge of inspecting meat and they tell me all inspectors are still on duty. but at the cdc where they track the disease, pinpoint the cause and try to figure out how to slow or stop it, they were making due with the limited staff. they are bringing back 20 scientists to try to fight the outbreak. >> everyone is operating with one hand tied behind their

back. that means more consumers will get stick. >> we have inspectors in the field and all of them are at work. >> reporter: now, at this point, the cdc has tied this to three 23069er farm chicken -- foster farm chicken plants in california. so far, no recall. back to you. >> thank you. the government shutdown is costing tourists at the grand canyon nearly. nearly two dozen people have been cited for entering the national park. the chief ranger hayes some people -- says some people have been caught sneaking in. all 21 citations have a mandatory order to appear in federal court. in yosemite, that park is also closed because of the government shutdown. but even if you wanted to get there, you would not be able to use the popular tie oga -- tyoga pass. this is video when the roads are clear. right now, it's due to snow.

the closure starts at crane flat where 120 becomes tyoga road. and the prospect of more than 3 inches is drawing mixed reaction. business owner says snow brings tourists. that's good for the bottom line. truckers say it creates dangerous conditions that make it tough to stay between the lines. >> the skiers get amped up for the ski season. it's good for everyone. >> today, snow is expected at elevations above 6,000 feet. we have been tracking this cooler weather system moving into northern california producing the snow in the serand even -- in the sierra and even the possibility of a few light showers in the bay area. here's our camera in san jose showing you partly cloudy skies. the clouds have been billing out to the east. even a few -- building out to the east. and even a few showers approaching the south bay. you can see the activity right around the sierra that's been on the decrease as far as the

snowshowers. here's a closer inspection of our radar. you can see the one band of shower activity within the past one to two hours right over -- at least to the west of morgan hill and gilroy. this will be a quick mover. it could be a factor in the short-term. we'll come in tighter and show you the activity. san jose reporting partly cloudy skies. but a few showers just to the east. as a result, we could have a few scattered light sprinkles. a few light showers in this part of the bay area over the next hour or so. for the most part we're expecting partly cloudy skies. as far as temperatures after a cool start this morning beginning to recover. we'll get to the countries. for today, we'll -- currents in a little bit. for today, we'll have partly cloudy skies. tomorrow some morning clouds. fair skies. this weekend looks great. mostly sunny skies and nice conditions out there. current temperatures are in the 60s to right around 70 degrees. fairfield right now one of the warmer spots at 70. san francisco, 62. in redwood city reporting partly cloudy skies and

currently 60 degrees, on track to reach the lower 70s by 3:00. you can see the temperatures stepping down in the evening hours back down to the 50s by 9:00 this evening. here's the overall weather setup. you see the circulation moving into northern california. this will be the source of rainfall for southern california later on today, already the clouds building out towards las vegas. the cool air remains in place and a slight chance favoring parts of the south bay. still the possibility of some sierra snowshowers later on and then tomorrow gonna start off with clouds and skies becoming partly to mostly sunny before tomorrow afternoon. today one of the cooler days of the week, we're thinking low to mid-70s out towards fairfield, antioch and brentwood. san francisco, 65 and more nadz with 7 -- neighborhoods are 72. santa cruz, 72 with a forecast high. here's a look ahead to the five- day forecast -- you can see temperatures up a few degrees for thursday and into friday. in fact, already thinking about

the weekend for saturday. looks pretty good out there. we'll break that out. you can see a cool start to the day with temperatures 40 to 50. mild to warm in the afternoon. 55 to 76 and into the second half of the weekend, we'll continue to warm things back up by sunday. warmest locations inland will be right around 80 degrees. we'll be flirting with the 80- degree marks. all sorts of extremes. last week we had fire danger. a few days ago we have a winter weather advisory in the sierra and this weekend looking good. >> thank you, mark. dozens of bay area schools are participating in today's international walk to school day. more than 12,000 elementary school student, and 76 public schools participated this morning and will again this afternoon when school lets out. that's a 38% increase from last year. the event includes schools in san francisco, san jose, santa clara and marin county. just minutes ago, the introduction of a bay area professor in line to be the

current's first female federal reserve chair. and three new target stores opened today around the bay area. [ female announcer ] made just a little sweeter...

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the dow has turned around. it's up 56. the nasdaq is down 5 and the s&p is up 5. also influencing the markets today, the nomination of janet yellen as the next federal reserve chairwoman. in the past few minutes, president obama nominated the 67-year-old vice chair. if conflirnled by the -- if conflirnled by the senate -- confirmed by the senate, she would be the first woman ever to head the bank. she's a former uc berkeley professor. she later led the feds bank in san francisco until she was tapped as the vice chair in 2010. >> she's a proven leader. she's tough. not just because she's from brooklyn. janet is exactly well-qualified for this role. she has served in leadership positions at the fed for more than a decade. >> she's considered a close ally of the man there, ben bernanke, who is retiring in january. she's expected to continue the

fed's policy of keeping interest rates quite low. and three new target stores are now open today in the bay area. one is in san francisco on geary boulevard on masonic. another is in alameda at mariner square loop and the third is in san rafael at the shoreline center. this is video from the new store in san francisco. the geary boulevard store will be smaller and more tailored to city life by offering items sold in smaller packages. the oakland as announced this morning that dave stewart will throw out the ceremonial first pitch for game 5 of the al league series tomorrow. the as tweeted out this picture. he was the most valuable player -- player of the 1989 world series of the giants. coming up aud at 5:00 -- today at 5:00, more on the developments out of san francisco, where a body discovered at san francisco

general hospital was that of a patient missing for over two weeks. thank you for making ktvu your choice for news. we'll see you the next time news breaks. be sure to join us again at 5:00. we're always here for you at ktvu.com and mobile ktvu.com. have a great day.

>> the following program contains actual video of real animal emergencies and is suitable for family viewing. coming next, saving pets whose owners are homeless. veterinarians volunteer their skills at a unique clinic. and helping animals in italy. this is "animal rescue." [captioning made possible by telco productions, inc.]