good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. keurig has a wide variety of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. keurig is the way to brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew.

ann notarangelo is in concord where layaway angels landed on kmart. ann. >> reporter: elizabeth, at this one store alone, about 20 people have had their layaway debt almost completely wiped out. people are walking in and paying somebody else's bill and this feel-good gesture is catching on. >> these are all from saturday. >> reporter: receipts on the wall indicate the layaway angels who have flown into the kmart in concord paying off thousands of dollars of someone else's layaway debt. boxes waiting for pickup like these filled with toys and clothes are paid for by strangers. the gestured started in the midwest last week and is going nationwide. it's making christmas brighter for other families. >> they look, they see clothes, shoes, toys, they say i want to pay that off. >> reporter: the balance is usually a penny just enough that the layaway stays on the books for pickup. marty assumes the role of one of santa's els when she calls customers to let them know their bill is paid. do you love-making those calls? >> yes, makes me cry sometimes. >> report

. >>> i'm ann notarangelo in walnut creek where they are enjoying an economic rebound. sign city leaders say point to a brighter 2012. >>> the clock is ticking. time is running out. >> one republican calls it high stakes poker but it's your money that's on the line. the new action that should have you bracing for a smaller paycheck by new year's. facebooker. that's not the plot of the movie. that's how >>> hackers, remote control helicopter and former facebooker. that's how the movie got made. how this bay area film is about to change the movie industry. keurig has over 200 varieties from 20 leading brands, including tully's. it's the way to brew everyone's favorite cup in under a minute. way to brew. just in time for the holidays. the city of walnut creek appears to be back in business >>> our top story at 6:30, just in time for the holiday, the city of walnut creek is back in business. it took a big hit during the recession but ann notarangelo reports, local business owners are seeing a lot of green this shopping season. >> reporter: elizabeth, when people think about

ann notarangelo has more on that bottom line. she was at the mall. >>> reporter: helicopters are flying off the shelves at brookstone. retail sales had been slow in recent weeks, something that was seen nationally. but in the last week, shoppers apparently felt the urge to splurge. >> they are ready to spend the money and they seem to be happy this time of year. last year a lot of grouchy customers. >> reporter: and would you believe it? what's making shoppers happening is spending $40 for dave the funky monkey. >> he'll wave hi and by, fart and burp. >> reporter: they are sold out. everyone wonders if this year will be better than last if somehow this could be the light at the end of the tunnel. >> i think it's coming around actually. i really do. i think that next year, i believe next year will be a better year. >> reporter: and her optimism is shared by economists who don't believe we'll see a double-dip recession. consumer confidence is also up and the shopping season is shaping up better than forecasted. >> i have confidence

ann notarangelo among the last- minute shoppers but first, julie watts says one major retailer could be in hot water for not delivering on black friday deals. you have an exclusive on a best buy holiday bummer , huh? >> reporter: yeah. cbs 5 is learning the san francisco d.a.'s office is looking into best buy for bad business practices. that's because the retail giant is telling customers those black friday deals they snagged last month are not going to be delivered ever. >> that sucks. that's a bummer. >> that would upset me. >> pretty crappy. >> reporter: best buy customers were shocked when they heard the electronics retailer will be responsible for some unhappy kids this holiday season. >> we had a bunch of complaints related to best buy. >> reporter: brad wilson says his users are echoing complaints like these on best buy's own website explaining how best buy singlehandedly ruined christmas by waiting until the week before the holiday to inform customers it would be canceling many of the black friday purchases they were counting on. >> you know, every once in a while that happen

. >>> i'm ann notarangelo in dublin. a misfired cannon hits three homes and one vehicle and tonight, neighbors are look for answers. >>> and "occupy" standoff right now in san francisco. the arrests and what protestors are planning next. >>> they are rich and famous. so why are they collecting welfare and unemployment? the millionaire bailout that you're paying for. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, take back justin herman pl >>> breaking news out of san francisco where "occupy" protestors have been attempting to take back justin herman plaza. they were ousted from the area in a raid early this morning. police are moving in. phil matier is live. phil, what's the latest? >> reporter: yeah, they are back. they have taken back over the plaza. they did it 20 or 30 minutes ago. the masked police have now begun moving in and they have surrounded the protestors just about a minute and a half ago. squads of police started moving in. they are all the way around the protestors who are holding their general assembly in the center. it looks like

but ann notarangelo tells us the cost to replace it is staggering. she is live in vallejo. ann. >> reporter: ken, this intersection behind me has had flashing red lights for two months now one of more than 80 either signal lights or street lights in vallejo that have been hit by these copper thieves. the flashing red lights are a sign something is wrong. this sign is another. >> signal lights are nonfunctioning due to copper wire theft. >> reporter: the intersection at wilson and daniels is one of seven signals hit by copper thieves and there have been 77 street lights this have gone out, as well. the relentless raids in vallejo started in may. it's dangerous work since thieves are dealing with live wires and the payoff on a signal light isn't that great. only 25 bucks in copper. but it costs the city $20,000 mostly in labor to reconnect hundreds of wires. the city's tried stopping the thieves by pouring concrete slabs over the pole boxes. >> by placing the concrete it makes it more difficult to get to it. but the thieves will take several days to breakthrough the concrete a

i'm ann notarangelo in concord where the holiday shopping season is wrapping up on a high note. is it a sign of better things to come? 're less than 2 weeks away ,,,,,, >>> your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. >>> our top story at 6:30, we are less than two weeks away from the first big test of the presidential campaign. the war of words between newt gingrich and mitt romney is heating up. the iowa caucuses are now just 13 days away. and that's where gingrich is taking fire from negative ads and protestors. we report on the battle for iowa. >> reporter: republican presidential hopeful newt gingrich barely got a sentence out before protestors interrupted his press conference at the iowa state capital. [ screaming ] >> reporter: gingrich was supposed to announce endorsements from the statehouse speakers of both iowa and new hampshire when the heckling started. >> i know there are people in between you and me but i'd really like to engage you in a conversation here sir. >> not today. >> reporter: gingrich promised to speak to the man outside but referred to the protest

ann notarangelo is in sacramento with who is taking the brunt of those cuts. ann. >> reporter: yeah, ken. the governor says that the california economy actually grew $91 billion in the last year but that was still not enough to stop these trigger cuts. >> none of this is pleasant. but the alternative is to do what we've done for so many years, and that is to just borrow and obfuscate and delay. >> reporter: governor jerry brown didn't have good news but he says it could have been worse. anticipated tax revenues didn't materialize but the state economy is growing. so instead of $2.4 billion in cuts, nearly a billion in cuts automatically kick in. that means $100 million gone from each of the university of california, cal state university and community colleges. $328million cut from k through 12. the equivalent of a half day of school. state grants to libraries have been eliminated. there are cuts to in-home support services for the elderly and disabled. medi-cal, child care and juvenile justice programs. >> i'm sensitive to what these cuts do to real people. but

ann notarangelo on the sacrifices some of those kids are making to sing at the summer game games. >>>orter: in 2012 these youngsters have the opportunity to make the world their stage. >> i think that's going to be life changing. >> reporter: the children representing 35 different cultures in the bay area have been invited to sing on opening day at the london olympics as well as at the united nations this summer. >> very excited. our director told us and we all started jumping around. >> we started hugging each other and we were just absolutely thrilled to be going. >> reporter: the director has transformed this benicia-based choir into an american children's choir one that sings in 20 different languages. they have already traveled to other countries and sung for presidents. >> our songs are always about hope and peace and celebrating what connects us together instead of what divides us. >> reporter: about the only thing that could divide these children in their next endeavour is money. >> it's like one big family so not to go is like having automatic of us kind of separated. >> repo

good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. ,,,,

. >>> good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. it is a tough sell in hard times, defending public pension plans that can mean six figure incomes for some retirees, they are continuing to work on the pensions, and focusing on some groups already cashing in. >> reporter: and the city workers average about 43,000 a year. but police, fire and top administrators are commanding a lot more. all of these pensions grow at a guaranteed 3% each year. the city says it can't afford it. a third of san jose's city's firefighters and police officers collect 1000 from the city, while more are checking out early, cashing in the retirement benefits. this week, the city council will begin work on a measure for the june ballot to cut san jose's pension costs significantly. >> the alternative is a city that falls apart. a city that looks like detroit. we can't allow that to happen here. >> reporter: two retired police chiefs and a fire chief top the list of pensioners, according to the paper, each collecting more than 100,000 a year. the top administra

but ann notarangelo shows us, the resorts are doing what they can to cope with a dry outlook. ann. >> reporter: dana, when you send a reporter to blue canyon you expect them to show you snow but i don't have any to show you. there are just patches on interstate 80. you have to go 15 minutes towards tahoe before you see any significant signs of snow. even then it's iffy. there are two different resorts up there. one hopes to open in the next couple of days. the other one is hoping to open in time for christmas. the puff of white cloud is snowmaking efforts a scene repeated since mother nature hasn't cooperated. >> we are hoping to open by christmas. we still ha

i'm ann notarangelo. at least six bay area families are homeless for the holidays after a fire broke out around 11:00 this morning at the complex on shore point court in alameda. don knapp is in alameda with a little girl's quick thinking alerted a fire department. >> reporter: firefighters have had the fire under control since early today. residents have spent the entire day dealing with aftermath and trying to figure out what to do next. it was about 11:00 a.m. when people heard sirens and watched fire spread rapidly through this apartment complex. this home video shows smoke billowing from the shore point buildings near crown beach. 7-year-old natalie johnson, daughter of the building manager, took charge. >> me and my mom heard a fire alarm in our house and then she told me -- she gave me her phone and told me to run downstairs into the office. so i ran down in the office and then when i was running down into the office, i saw a bunch of smoke. so then i decided to call 911, because it seemed like it

i'm ann notarangelo. authorities are investigating tonight what started a fatal fire in the east bay. it happened early this morning at a home in oakland. firefighters arrived to find the arthur street house fully engulfed. anne mackovic talked to one person who ran toward the flames to try to save a man. >> he got out and saw flames going out the window. >> reporter: the walls around the window are now charred, as the body of a 55-year-old man laid inside. firefighters found him deceased in his bed after a fire started in his second story room. this man is his house mate. >> they say he was smoking a cigarette in there or something and the fire just came -- he probably fell asleep, because he does that a lot. >> reporter: at least six people were renting rooms in this house on arthur street. even the living room had been turned into a sort of mini apartment. the legality of that arrangement is being questioned today. >> too many people in the house, too many people. >> reporter: at least one of those peop

i'm ann notarangelo. a california national guard unit returns to the bay area tonight, after serving in afghanistan. don knapp is live at the san jose airport where some of the soldiers will arrive in about half an hour. >> reporter: we're waiting for some of the 180 national guard troops returning to california after nearly a year in afghanistan. they are returning in stages today, as several flights, some landing at sfo, some flights in san jose. they have been coming home, not entirely a joyous occasion. just last month, one of theirs returned home, specialist shawn walsh. he had been killed in action in afghanistan. he's a member of the same company, military police that are coming home today. now, we expect of course many happier moments this evening when these folks finally do get home and meet their loved once, greet them here at norman make net take international, then take off fairly quickly. that's what happened in oakland. they got down on the ground, didn't have much time for media. they met w

good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. and the niners got it done at home today for the first time since 2002, the san francisco 49ers are heading to the playoffs with a win over st. louis, 26-0, dennis will have more later in sports. but how many more games will the niners play at candle stick? now that the area is secured, the move south looks more and more likely, we learned more about candlestick and the tailgaters. >> reporter: tailgating outside of candle stick park, a 65 year tradition that could be about to end. >> i feel great about it. >> i am a little upset. >> reporter: it looks like all but a done deal. the san francisco 49ers moving to santa clara within the next few years, whether that is a winning move or a foul play depends on who you ask. >> we love having it right where it is. >> they got to move to santa clara. it will be just the next level of excitement for the niners. >> santa clara has finally secured funding for a new stadium near the great american park, three banks pledging to help pay for the st

>>> good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. a bay area father of three killed in his bed, in a drive- by shooting while his family was asleep nearby. police say multiple shots were fired at the victim's oakland home. don knapp is in oakland and just talked to the man's daughter. don? >> reporter: ann, most of us would consider it pretty outrageous to have bullets shot through the walls of a home where a family is sleeping. but this family on east 28th, it has happened for the third time, with deadly con -- consequences. >> a memorial sits at a home. and gunshots rang out this morning and a single bullet ripped through the front wall. 46-year-old thorn nep was killed in bed. and the neighbor who heard gunshots told the tribune a dark colored four door sedan sped off over speed bumps and stop signs. the 46-year-old man was declared dead at the scene. his daughter told cbs 5 their home has been targeted before. >> the first one was thanksgiving when we were sleeping, and then i woke up, and then i heard a lot of shots. >> reporter

while h >>> good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. a bay area father of three killed in his bed, in a drive- by shooting, while his family was asleep nearby. police say multiple shots were fired at the victim's oakland home. don knapp is in oakland where the man's daughter says she doesn't know why their home was targeted. don? >> reporter: in some neighborhoods in the bay area, this does happen too frequently. bullets come through the walls of a house where people are innocently sleeping. at this particular house, on 28th and east oakland, it happened for the third time. that is, three times this house has been hit. and this time, with deadly consequences. a memorial sits in front of a home on east 28th. about 3:30 this morning, gunshots rang out. and a single bullet ripped through the front wall. 46-year-old thorn nepp was killed while he was in bed with his sleeping wife. a neighbor who said he heard gunshots told the oakland tribune a dark colored four door sedan sped off over speed bumps and through stop signs. the 46-year-old ma

in for ann notarangelo. we begin with christmas chill dropping temperatures to the 20s. which parts of the bay area will feel the deepest freeze? we have elizabeth wenger with details on that. hey, elizabeth? >> that's right. we are under a freeze warning yet again. last night and again tonight. it is really cold. the temperatures, what does that mean, temperatures dropping to the mid-20s. to low 30s in a lot of parts. so the warning is specifically for our inland valleys. the east and south bay valleys and portions of the north bay. so protect your plants, your pets, your people, your pipes. you know the drill by now. it is going to be a chilly night for santa. going to remain dry. so the high pressure remains in effect. so coming up, we will take a look at your seven-day forecast. where there is rain in our seven-day forecast. we will tell you all about that coming up. back to you. >> don't worry. santa dressed warmly. it will be okay. >> what about the -- reindeer? >> they will be okay. >>> on this chilly christmas eve, wouldn't you love to stoke up the fire to get yo

ann notarangelo has the night off. i'm grace lee. it is a beautiful christmas eve here in the bay area. not a clear one though. there is mist and probably a bit of smoke in the fireplace. and the air quality management agency is saying to douse the flames. we will talk about it in a little bit. we begin with firefighters and police roaming the streets to brighten the spirits of san francisco's needy children. lefty owe dual's started collecting toys early this morning and keep collecting until 2:00 tomorrow morning and emergency workers will take those toys and walk around and look for empty-handed kids and give them the gifts. >> there is like 2500 kids who are sleeping on couches now. and possibly homeless. and we want to beat our last year's goal of 10,000 toys. >> if you want to donate to the toy drive, head over to lefty odools in union square. santa or one of his elves will come out to your car to help you. it is that easy. if you can't make it that, you can call lux or cab and a taxi will collect your donations. >>> thousands

during the filming of this "mythbusters" episode, ann notarangelo says tonight we're hearing from the homeowners whose house became a demolition site to their surprise. ann? >> reporter: yeah. no kidding. well, the tv show host actually met with the neighbors today. the homeowners who had their home damaged. they tried to explain what happened. at this point no clear answers but one thing they think is that the cannon had muzzle lift so the cannon just simply overshot its target. one of the tv hosts says he's a dad and home owner and would never want this to happen to anybody. tv's "mythbusters" got busted. >> mind of in we come in? >> reporter: and today tried to reassure unsettled homeowners that their houses will be repaired after yesterday's cannonball misfire. >> this is the worst thing that's happened on our watch and we're going to make sure it doesn't happen again. >> reporter: this is quite a story. but it is not amusing to the people whose home was hit. >> very angry. not happy at all right now, of course. i hope this doesn't happen to anybody. >> reporter: it might take a l

good evening, i'm ann notarangelo. california should be proud.irst to ban smoking on airplanes. the first to have smoke-free bars and restaurants. all while saving over $86 billion in health care costs... and over a million lives. we've done a good job. but even if you were born today,

good evening, i'm ann notarangelo.