let's bring in jodi hernandez is joining us from san ramon.t's a pretty unusual story, jodi. >> reporter: it is very unusual. what is usually well-manicured lawns looks like a rototiller passed through but it's not manmade. san ramon's henry ranch neighborhood is mobilized to ward off vandals. but this gives dirty a whole new meaning. >> every night they come. >> reporter: these are the critters causing so much damage. hefty and hungry wild pigs. one neighbor's surveillance camera caught them in action just two nights ago despite a trap put on the front lawn to catch them, they devoured their midnight snack of insects and grub unphased. >> they don't even go near the phase. they just go, not interested, and tear up the lawn. >> reporter: his brand new landscaping turned upside down. >> it only takes them a few minutes to do this much damage. they are just extremely efficient, put their snouts down into it. >> you try to maintain your yard. >> reporter: the pig feeding fre frenzy has left a dozen neighbors under attack. >> they are destroying a

diablo, jodi hernandez, nbcq @÷ bay are news. >> thank you very much, jodi.r all the latest updates on the fire, go to our website, nbcbayarea.com. all you need to do is serge diablo wildfire. >>>syria. a new offer is on the table. russia is suggesting seyria tur over its chemical weapons and in return the u.s. will not attack. janelle wang joins us. on the eve of president obama's national address. >> he'll be speaking less than 24 hours from right now. the white house says this whole thing could be a stall tactic but it's an idea the obama administration is seriously considering. in an off the cuff remark, secretary of state john kerry answered a reporter's question about what syria's president could do to avoid a possible u.s. attack. >> sure, he could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week. turn it over. all of it. >> reporter: in a surprising move, russia foreign minister said it would help persuade syria to do so. former secretary of state hillary clinton voiced her id news conference on fighti

reporting live in walnut creek, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> always a good reminder. thank you, jodi. a major route into yosemite that was closed because of the rim fire is now open again. that's the good news. state route 120 reopened at around noon today. the road is the main entrance to yosemite from the bay area. the rim fire has burned 385 square miles since it began on august 17th. it's now 80% contained. it was started with an illegal campfire by a hunter. for our latest weather conditions, we invite you to go to our website, nbcbayarea.com. there you can look up maps, radar, and sign up for our severe weather alerts. >>> an overnight fire destroyed an apartment, a business, and several cars in martinez. it was started we a pot left burning on the stove. in the 3:00 a.m. hour, a neighbor heard the sirens and shot this video and sent it into us. firefighters say they had a difficult time getting near the fire initially because of the power lines. when they finally got the power cut off and they were able to take care of the flames. the man who lives in the apartm

this hot weather means fire danger, let's bring in jodi hernandez from one of the hotspots in walnut creek. >> reporter: good evening. it is hot here in walnut creek. the temperature gauge has been creeping up near the century mark. it's been hovering at about 96 to 97 degrees this afternoon, which means fire danger is at its peak. firefighters know all too well how devastating one spark can be. the east bay regional firefighters just returned from two weeks battling the rim fire near yosemite. >> the rhyme fire is now at 246,000 acres, third largest fire in california history, and we definitely don't want that here in the bay area. >>. >> reporter: and this weekend's bay area forecast has them worried. triple digit temperatures coupled with all our dry vegetation means high fire danger. he this say everyone needs to be on guard. >> anything from a campfire to -- >> reporter: we found plenty of people trying to beat the heat, including taking a rice cream break. >> looking forward to going to the pool a lot. that's fun. cooling down, but the heat is sort of hard to deal with. >> it's

i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >>> now, to the crisis in syria. one step closer. today a senate committee passed a resolution to use military force in syria. the bipartisan vote gave the green light for the u.s. to launch limited air strikes against the regime. the proposal goes to the full senate for a vote. nbc bay area finds people in the bay area also divided on the issue. >> those images coming out of syria it is so powerful it is hard not to feel something. the problem is there are a lot of people who just don't want the u.s. to get involved with another conflict. each side watching carefully to see if lawmakers give the president -- >> keep the pressure on. >> reporter: the voices against u.s. military strikes at protests in san francisco and san jose may be loud but the voices for strikes are no less urgent. >> you are not going to stop a mad man on the loose been half years and no eone stopped him yet. the more you let this go the more he is going to be killing. >> reporter: a member of the bay area chapter of the syrian council feels fortunate to have es

in dublin, jodi hernandez, hns bay area news. >>> coming up next, restoring what was once a thriving piece of bay area land, the project that aims to turn water into wine. >> if you're not balancing the use of automation and flying skills, that can sometimes create challenges. >> are pilots too reliant on auto pilot? is it putting passengers at risk? [ telephone ringing ] [ male announcer ] answering your phone between 5 and 7 on a weeknight? not so smart. [ drumming ] buying your own kid a drum set. not so smart. getting a complete meal on the table under 10 bucks? now that's smart. the new kfc $9.99 6-piece deal. 6 pieces of chicken... 3 biscuits, and one large side just $9.99! bringing home a meal the whole family loves for under ten bucks? very smart. today tastes so good. >>> since the days of the gold rush, 90% of the bay area's marsh lands have been filled in or developed. >> efforts are underway to restore title marshes in near napa and sonoma. joe rosato, junior tells us how. >> reporter: the vineyards are alive with this year's grapes. among the rolling vines is an area so

jodi hernandez was in the courtroom as the proceeding began. >> reporter: it was emotional. the jury heard tearful testimony from the children of his victims. but he insists that he should not get the death penalty claiming he has a reverence for life and cares about others. >> i think he's a monster and he should be punished for the crimes. >> reporter: but a jury must decide if that punishment should be a death sentence for joseph naso who is convicted of killing women in the '70s and '90s. the sentencing phase began this morning with naso telling jurors he does not deserve to die. he painted a picture of himself as a giving person who lived a life of community service. for the rest of my life i will continue to care about people who need hem, he said. but the children of naso's victims say what he took from them has been devastating. the daughters of one woman shared their tears. pamela's daughter described her struggles with loneliness. and rocks casino cease son told the jury how hard it is growing up without a mother. >> think about everything your mother has done with

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is live in the headlands to explain. jodi?>> reporter: janelle, members of the golden gate bridge district say this is one of the most important decisions they have ever made. they voted today to install a median barrier on the golden gate bridge late next year. it is a safety project that will require the bridge to close down for an entire weekend for the very first time. but those who've been impacted by head-on collisions on the bridge say it's every bit worth it. >> theoretically, it should have been preventable. and if there had been a barrier, it would have been prevented. >> reporter: grace knows all too well how dangerous driving across the golden gate bridge can be. the bay area doctor was critically injured in 2008 when another car driving in the opposite direction crossed over the plastic tubes dividing traffic. hitting the car she, her daughter, and her dog were in, head-on. >> i never drove in the middle lane. known as the suicide lane. for some reason that day, i drove in the middle lane. >> reporter: the acciden

nbc bay area's jody hernandez joins us from san ramon with the dirty details. jody?>> and it is a dirty mess. just take a look at this front yard. it looks like a bulldozer rolled through here. and it is the same picture up and down this street. but this mess is not man made. it is the work of hungry pigs plowing through here nightly. >> oh, no, no, please, please. i walked out here and you can see it, right. it's not just a little bit of damage. it's really torn to sh reeds reds. the surveillance camera captured the culprits in action. pigs going hog wild. >> it only takes them a few minutes to do this much damage. they're just incredibly efficient. they put their snouts down into it and they just tear it up. >> but it's not just christenson's yard being targeted. the critters are holding some say are sloppy pig parties nightly. creating widespread damage all over this san ramon neighborhood. >> it looks like a tornado topped from yard to yard, just tearing everything up. >> carrie spur lock says she's seen no action. the home evener's association recently hired a t

jody hernandez joins us live with the latest. >> reporter: 21-year-old michael montgomery remains here at the san francisco county jail. police are still trying to piece together their investigation before they turn it over to the district attorney. tonight the families of both the suspect and the victim are absolutely heartbroken as they try to make sense of what's happened. >> it ain't that serious. we don't need to be killing and beating each other for that stuff. >> reporter: the families of both men involved a speaking out. 21-year-old michael montgomery remains behind boars facing possible murder charges. quote, my son says he was hit with a chair. he was just trying to defend himself. he is in shock says victoria montgomery. the victim's family is speaking out too. the dodgers fan was a kind hearted soul who loved his family. quote, we feel that this incident underlines the symptom of society whose values have deteriorated over time. >> it is tragic. it's senseless. this kind of violence should never happen for a rivalry, team rivalry, any senseless act of violence should not be

jodi hernandez joins us from the fire line with the very latest. >> reporter: cal fire just announced within the hour the cause of the morgan fire was target shooting. we do know that that fire started not far from where we're standing along morgan territory road. we talked to one woman earlier in the week who saidhe heard gunfire. a spark from target shooting ignited the fire that has left much of mount diablo charred. long-time residents are trying to take in the new landscape left behind the morgan fire. >> pretty bare and black. it is just different, very stark. it is unfortunate. it's turned into a big charcoal. >> reporter: a mountain that was once overgrown with brush and trees changed in a flash. >> it's an area that hadn't burned since 1977 and then 3,000 acres of it became a moon skap. >> reporter: not only did the fire wipe out vegetation, but it also killed wildlife. >> 3,000 acres burned. a whole bunch of the tarantulas were killed in the fire. that's a big hit on that species. >> reporter: fire crews are working to repair and save the hillsides which are at risk for mud

reporting live in san rafael, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news.he driver who caused the five-car pile-up this morning is still on the run. the drive crashed the jaguar near the baskin avenue exit. they say the driver lost control of the new car and in a chain reaction four other people then crashed their cars, the driver ran away. shouldn't be hard to figure out who he is. left the cell phone and car behind. luckily only minor injuries were suffered. >> new at 6:00, unemployment checks are delayed for 50,000 californians. the department is struggling with a computer system upgrade. 15,000 claims were processed overnight and the rest could be finished by the end of the week. the system upgrade has affected less than 20% of the biweekly claim forms. >> skies over colorado are clear for a second day in a row giving crews a chance to rescue more stranded residents. so far 12,000 people have been evacuated with the help of helicopters. today though sadly the death toll rose to eight but nearly 600 people are unaccounted for, most likely stranded and un

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez joins us in san francisco with the latest. jodi? >> reporter: raj, the suspect, 21-year-old michael montgomery, is in an observation unit tonight here at the san francisco county jail being closely monitored by health care professionals. it's unclear exactly why they're doing that, but we know that he faces some very serious charges, possible murder charges. tonight, the families of both the suspect and the victim are trying to make senses of what's happened. >> we're still asking for the public to come forward, any witnesses that may have been in the area. >> reporter: san francisco police say they're still trying to piece their case together against the lodi man they say fatally stabbed a dodgers fan. before they turn it over to the district attorney. >> it's tragic. it's senseless. this kind of violence should never happen. for a rivalry, team rivalry. any senseless act of violence should not be occurring. >> reporter: tonight, the families of both men involved are speaking out. suspect michael montgomery's mother tells nbc bay a

we bring in nbc bay area ease jodi hernandez from near the fire line. jodi? >> reporter: raj, firefighters are feeling a lot better about the situation out here tonight. not only is it much cooler, but firefighters are really making ground on strengthening their containment lines. yet still a lot of land has burned. see this charred hillside behind me. this hillside, in fact, flared up last night putting homeowners on edge once again. because, in part, of the actions of residents, not a single house has been destroyed. as firefighters work to put out the hot spots and remove any branches or trees that could give the morgan fire a chance to flare up again, they're also acknowledging the work homeowners have played in keeping their houses from going up in flames. >> they worked in a lot of ways. we didn't lose any residential structures in this fire and a large part of that is because we had a lot of people paying attention to defensible space, and we got lucky, too. >> reporter: she has been weed eating her property to create a buffer zone around her home sinc

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez joins us in oakland this evening with details. jodi? >> reporter: raj, part says it hasn't made much progress at all with the union here at the bargaining table and fears a lengthy b.a.r.t. strike could be heading our way. so they're making some backup plans, plans that include possibly turning b.a.r.t. managers into train operators. >> i hope they can resolve it. yeah. without the strike. >> reporter: alex depends on b.a.r.t. to get to work every day. he says another b.a.r.t. strike would hit him hard. >> when they were striking, i wasn't able to get to work. i lost money. >> reporter: but he's not exactly on board with b.a.r.t.'s plan b. b.a.r.t. says it's preparing for the worst and is looking at having managers operate trains if workers go on strike. >> and we feel that we have at least an obligation to see whether or not it would be possible to run some type of skeletal b.a.r.t. service in the event that we find ourselves in a long strike. >> some are train operators, that is correct. they haven't operated trains in years. >> repor

jody hernandez is live where he is still hospitalized. does the pd have any leads at this point? >> reporter: jessica, pleasanton police say they're getting a lot of tips and say they're also working some strong investigative leads. they believe as many as eight teenagers were involved in a brutal attack that left a father of two in critical condition here and his family torn apart. >> he's a great dad. he's, you know, strict and kind and loving. you know, we don't let our kids -- we know where they are at that hour of the night. >> reporter: agnes lamont says her husband was severely beaten after simply trying to do the right thing. 51-year-old david lamont is in a coma after police say he confronted what they believe was a group of teenagers making noise outside the lamont's pleasanton home around midnight on friday. >> it's just so, so horrible and so cruel. and the fact that they just left him there to die, it's just, i can't even understand this. >> reporter: agnes lamont found her husband bleeding and unconscious in the street. he's been hospitalized in a coma ever since, w

we begin with jodi hernandez. >> reporter: raj, this fire has more than tripled in size and it just keeps growing. as you mentioned, you can see the smoky hillside behind me. we've actually been watching lottelot e helicopters and planes dropping water on this today. you see patches of bright orange. no those are flames. tonight the fire is just 20% contained. >> biggest challenge is access, trying to get the resources to where the fire is is actually burning and doing it in a safe manner. >> reporter: firefighters are facing huge challenges as they work to get a handle on the biggest fire mt. diablo's seen in years. more than 3,700 acreses have burned since the fire broke out yesterday afternoon. hot weather, steep terrain, and dry vegetation are making it tough to

jody hernandez is live where he is still hospitalized. does the pd have any leads at this point? >> reporter: jessica, pleasanton police say they're getting a lot of tips and say they're also working some strong investigative leads. they believe as many as eight teenagers were involved in a brutal attack that left a father of two in critical condition here and his family torn apart. >> he's a great dad. he's, you know, strict and kind and loving. you know, we don't let our kids -- we know where they are at that hour of the night. >> reporter: agnes lamont says her husband was severely beaten after simply trying to do the right thing. 51-year-old david lamont is in a coma after police say he confronted what they believe was a group of teenagers making noise outside the lamont's pleasanton home around midnight on friday.

reporting live at treasure island, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >>> new at 5:00, a startling discovery near a southbound elementary school. someone called 911 to report a body in a core in east san jose. the victim is a female. homicide detectives are at the school which police say is standard protocol in situations like this. at this point from what we're told, it's unclear if the death is suspicious. in order to keep the students away from the scene, the school alerted parents to pick up their children at an alternate location today. >>> happening now, the san jose city council is considering adding hundreds of police officers to the force. the recommendation has just now passed late this afternoon, this recommendation has passed 10-1. the proposal introduced last week by mayor chuck reed and counsel might bes will add 200 officers to the force in the next four years. it will also restore the 10% pay cut the officers took during the recession. the san jose police officers association says the four-year time frame is too long and full of empty promises. this new plan has an estimated

diablo, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> very good information. so this could be a criminal case. thank you, jodi. >>> the problem of charred earth giving way to mudslides is very real. we saw what's happening in mt. diablo with that charred earth. this is exactly what's happening right now in colorado. hillsides blackened by fires there recently are giving away and washing into the town of boulder where the university of colorado is located. we'll show you more incredible pictures coming up at 6:30. >>> now to nbc bay area follow-up. some firefighters who battled the mt. diablo fire are feeling the love days after they were ripped off. the fire crew assigned to walnut creek's fire station number 7 was hit by burglars while out fighting the fire earlier this week. tonight they are giving thanks to their community because piles of home-baked goodies and messages of love now decorate their kitchen. one resident even came by today to give the fire crew his ipad. >> we have had a steady stream of people coming here to the station from throughout the co

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez with more on the pig problem. >> san ramon's henry ranch neighborhood is mobilized to ward off prowlers. the vandals wreaking havoc in the past two months give dirty a whole new meaning. >> every two or three days now, every night they come. >> these are the krillers causing so much damage many hefty and hungry wild pigs. one neighbor's surveillance camera caught them in action just two nights ago. despite a trap put on the front lawn to catch them. they devoured their midnight snack of insects and grubbs unfazed. >> they look at the trap and tear up the lawn. >> his brand new landscaping turned upside down. >> it only takes them a few minutes to do this much damage. they're just incredibly efficient, they put their snouts down into it and tear it up. >> it looks like a tornado from yard to yard tearing everything up. you try to maintain -- >> the feeding frenzy has left the yards a total mess. >> it does feel like we're under attack. we've done everything we know how to do to deter them from our neighborhood and they keep coming back. >> reporter: carrie

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez is in longer in front of the flames but a charred hillside. jodi?d it's tough to see mt. diablo looking like this, raj. as you mentioned, it is charred and blackened. as you said, calfire tonight has announced that the cause of this devastation was a target shooter. and we have confirmed that the fire started not far from where we're standing along morgan territory road. tonight, for residents who live along this area around this area, it is just sinking in that the impact will be felt for months, and years to come. fire crews are finished fighting the morgan fire, but now they're busy repairing the charred and bulldozed hillside. >> the rains are going to come down and wash down all of the ash, all of the dirt that has nothing to keep it in its place right now. >> reporter: calfire is installing water bars to stabilize the mountain. they say they won't leave until the work is done. but residents like danal

reporting live from treasure island, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >>> thank you, jodi. and we invite you to go to nbcbayarea.com for complete coverage of the bay bridge opening. there you can find a time lapse of the construction as well as more reaction from drivers. again, nbcbayarea.com. >>> we've been made out to be environmental criminals when nothing could be further than the truth. >>> the fate of the new drake's b bay oyster company. >>> car-pooling programs that impact drivers. >>> the rim fire is 75% contained, but is it affecting san francisco's water supply? i'm cheryl hurd, overlooking the hetch hetchy water system. i'll have that story coming up. >>> and i'm jeff ranieri in the nbc bay area weather center. plenty of sunshine for today, but it is about to get hot, in fact. uncomfortable in the seven day forecast. we'll talk about how high those temperatures will go, plus increased fear danger coming up next. >>> it's taken more than two weeks, but crews are finally getting an upper hand on stubborn and massive fire. the rim fire is now 75% contained. last n

reporting livee1 at the bridge, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news.e possible temporary closure of the golden gré$bridge. if that bridge is closed to install the barrier, it will be justqÑiq the sibr)ár' its history it's been closed. three times because of bad weather. the first closure was on december 1st, i]1951, when it w closed for three hours because of wind gusts up to 69t(c milesk hour. july 113th, 1975, closed an hou and a half for a construction project. also closed because ofw3 weathe in december of w31982, wind gst up to 70Ñi miles an ro)r closedt for two hours. a year later windp, gusts up t5 miles per hour closedcfj$u$e bre for aboutqc 3 1/2 hours. that was december 3rd, 1983. now, the bridge was also clozÑi on may 24çóxdth, 1987, for six hours. i was there for this one. this time it was the bridge's 50th anniversary walk. >> i remember that. >>> police are searcug for clues andko?hp family is recoveg after a 10-year-old girl was shot in herlp hayward home whil. it happened around 2:00 this e1 h%g parents didn't call 911 for more thani]

reporting live in san rafael, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. >>> there's controversy brewing in the east bay. should cities manage parking? it's becoming a trend in many cities and it may become a law in walnut creek. nbc bay area's cheryl hurd joins us with the details. >> reporter: parking is changing. not only can you use your credit card at some meters, there are sensors underneath some car in some cities to let officials know if the space is available or not. that new technology is pushing a new idea which may mean parking rates could go up in the city soon. parking in downtown walnut cream is sometimes a pain. >> as we park in the lot over there. >> reporter: because street parking is not easy. >> been such a hassle to park here. >> reporter: that's why walnut creek city officials are proposing an idea to manage parking in the downtown area. >> we've shown that there is parking available in downtown. so while it might be hard to find a parking space on the street at times, our garages have plenty of space. >> reporter: for shoppers and diners, the underused park