heather holmes is on the scene. we are going to get to her in a minute. right now she is gathering information. as soon as she is ready we will go to her. >>> the death count in japan, 1900. some officials 10,000 people are dead from the earthquake and tsunami, which they upgrated today to a 9.0. a japanese news agency said 2,000 bodies washed up. 3,000 other are reported missing and 450,000 more are staying in shelters. tonight concerns over a melt down at one of the nuclear plants in japan are mounting following a hydrogen explosion that fukushima daiichi plants. all of the plants lost their cooling system in the earthquake and tsunami last friday. a travel warning today for u.s. citizens, not to go to japan unless absolutely necessary. flights have resume in japan. 1200 american citizens are in the northeastern part of the country. >> in the bay area, the red cross and san francisco leaders are coordinating fund raising efforts for earthquake and tsunami victims in japan. they have met with a representative from the japanese consulate who told them the

i'm heather holmes. >> i'm ken pritchett. >>> one victim versus as many as 15 attackers. a robbery at a caltrain station left a san jose man in critical condition. janinedelavega is live with what caltrans is stay about the vicious -- caltrain is saying about this vicious attack. >> reporter: well, many are surprised. they didn't even know about t we're told about a -- about it. we're being told a group of about nine to 15 people attacked a man right behind the clock tower up there behind me. when police arrived, the man was hurt so baddy, he could not -- badly, he could not speak. >> there's always a cop running around this area. i'm pretty surprised it happened here. i hope he gets better. >> reporter: police are calling this a strong-arm robbery. a spokesperson says the group fled before the transit police arrived on the scene. they are investigating and at this point don't have a description. the victim is 47 years old from san jose. he's in critical condition at the hospital. now there is a lot of foot traffic out here on the platform because it's also a hub for tran

heather holmes talked about detectives who told them the mo for these crimes is unusual. heather. >> it certainly is. let's talk about bold. this guy he walked right through the front doors of this rite-aid. then walked straight to the pharmacy, climbed over the counter then he went after the cough syrup. imagine the pharmacist surprised after a man hopped the counter and started filling up his backpack with cough syrup. at 5:00 p.m. when the store was busy. >> knew the exact area of the pharmacy to go to, very quick. >> reporter: it follows a familiar pattern that began a week and a half ago at this right in in neighbors concord. police there tell us they have surveillance video showing the white male taking cough syrup that contains codine. >> codine syrup is similar to heroin in terms of its effects. it doesn't take long for a once time experiment to turn into a very long habit. >> it's very unforgiving. any of the opients builds a tolerance. which means you have to take more for the same effect and there's no end to that. >> reporter: no one has been injured in any of

heather holmes continues our coverage in san rafael where the saturated ground is a concern, heather. >> reporter: san rafael got soaked this weekend with nearly an inch and a half of rain. here we are a week later and here we are again. we're already starting to see weather accumulate on city streets. a soggy night in downtown san rafael after a very soggy weekend. >> we have power outages, you know no telephone lines. it was inconvenient. you know no heat, cold. >> reporter: this next wave of wet weather is not expected to pack the same punch that snapped trees and brought down power lines. but the additional rainfall is adding fears for the potential of landslide. >> the soil is about 90% of the way to approaching saturation. >> reporter: tonight we talked to a research geologist in minlow park who says monitoring devices placed in slopes placed in landslides gives way for concern. >> the amount of rain you have to put into the soil to make it prone to landslides, we're already more than 100% of that total. >> reporter: ducking into a dry theater and thinking about the warm weather

ktvu's heather holmes has more on today's special meeting. where the city council decided the fate of billions of the dollars. >> reporter: hand off is what essentially the council told the state. their vote is on the one and only item on the agenda an agreement to spend $4 million of redevelopment money. money currently at risk under the governor's budget plan. it could be a game changer to build a new stadium for the 49ers. securing $4 million from the state. >> i understand his stakes in the situation to try to balance the budget. >> reporter: the council pushed to tie the millions of the redevelopment money to preconduction cost for the new stadium. >> you have to put in fire hydrants. >> improvements the mayor argues benefit the city. >> i'm afraid that we're making a decision that -- >> reporter: but tonight, some residents questioned the spending. >> the use it or lose it is just plain blarge. >> this is action we're taking on behalf of the citizens. >> reporter: santa clara joins many other bay area cities rushing to spend that redeve

heather holmes continues our coverage in san rafael where the saturated ground is a concern, heather. >> reporter: san rafael got soaked this weekend with nearly an inch and a half of rain. here we are a week later and here we are again. we're already starting to see weather accumulate on city streets. a soggy night in downtown san rafael after a very soggy weekend. >> we have power outages, you know no telephone lines. it was inconvenient. you know no heat, cold. >> reporter: this next wave of wet weather is not expected to pack the same punch that snapped trees and brought down power lines. but the additional rainfall is adding fears for the potential of landslide. >> the soil is about 90% of the way to approaching saturation. >> reporter: tonight we talked to a research geologist in minlow park who says monitoring devices placed in slopes placed in landslides gives way for concern. >> the amount of rain you have to put into the soil to make it prone to landslides, we're already more than 100% of that total. >> reporter: ducking into a dry theater and thinking about the warm weather

reporting live tonight in san francisco, heather holmes, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the u.s. navy says it is constantly checking the wind direction to keep ships and other vessels away from the radiation plume. they've deployed more than 25 tons of supplies. palmer penkney said the navy is concentrating on search and rescue from the tsunami at sea. following that, the marines will be sent in. >> the uss essex, uss harper's ferry, and german town, which are amphibious units have the capability to put marines right onto the ground. >> u.s. forces and naval bases in japan are also packing up supplies. >>> some nuclear experts are fearing the worst tonight amidst indications that japan will not be able to contain its growing nuclear crisis. jana joins us again. >> reporter: a lot of concern. many people who are actually leaving the country. we did get in touch with a bay area businessman who is here on a business trip during the earthquake. he is leaving today. we caught up with him before he left. wanted to share what he said to us about his experience, and also what we're seein

heather holmes, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the israeli government wants facebook to remove a page. the page is titled the third palestinian infanta ka d.a. and had 340,000 fans. it calls on palestinians to start an uprising on may 15th. a cabinet member wrote a letter to the founder of facebook. a -- so far there is no public response from facebook. >>> a san francisco supervisor is proposing a solution to having companies leaving the cities. the supervisor is working on a law he will introduce tomorrow and it will include a two-year tax break for tech companies with 100 or more work hears the are not traded publicly. >>> san francisco -- if is down to one part of its three cable car lines tonight. the california line closed in january. and tonight powell mason line shut down for maintenance. muni has buses covering the lines. the service on the powell street line will resume on saturday. >>> also in san francisco public works crews started lighting up geary boulevard. the underpass is getting retro fitted with 350 new light fixtures. thatry supposed to last longer, be more efficie

heather holmes, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the israeli government wants facebook to remove a page. the page is titled the third palestinian infanta ka d.a. and had 340,000 fans. it calls on palestinians to start an uprising on may 15th. a cabinet member wrote a letter to the founder of facebook. a -- so far there is no public response from facebook. >>> a san francisco supervisor is proposing a solution to having companies leaving the cities. the supervisor is working on a law he will introduce tomorrow and it will include a two-year tax break for tech companies with 100 or more work hears the are not traded publicly. >>> san francisco -- if is down to one part of its three cable car lines tonight. the california line closed in january. and tonight powell mason line shut down for maintenance. muni has buses covering the lines. the service on the powell street line will resume on saturday. >>> also in san francisco public works crews started lighting up geary boulevard. the underpass is getting retro fitted with 350 new light fixtures. thatry supposed to last longer, be more efficie

ktvu's heather holmes has more on today's special meeting. where the city council decided the fate of billions of the dollars. >> reporter: hand off is what essentially the council told the state. their vote is on the one and only item on the agenda an agreement to spend $4 million of redevelopment money. money currently at risk under the governor's budget plan. it could be a game changer to build a new stadium for the 49ers. securing $4 million from the state. >> i understand his stakes in the situation to try to balance the budget. >> reporter: the council pushed to tie the millions of the redevelopment money to preconduction cost for the new stadium. >> you have to put in fire hydrants. >> improvements the mayor argues benefit the city. >> i'm afraid that we're making a decision that -- >> reporter: but tonight, some residents questioned the spending. >> the use it or lose it is just plain blarge. >> this is action we're taking on behalf of the citizens. >> reporter: santa clara joins many other bay area cities rushing to spend that redeve

reporting live tonight in san francisco, heather holmes, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the u.s. navy says it is constantly checking the wind direction to keep ships and other vessels away from the radiation plume. they've deployed more than 25 tons of supplies. palmer penkney said the navy is concentrating on search and rescue from the tsunami at sea. following that, the marines will be sent in. >> the uss essex, uss harper's ferry, and german town, which are amphibious units have the capability to put marines right onto the ground. >> u.s. forces and naval bases in japan are also packing up supplies. >>> some nuclear experts are fearing the worst tonight amidst indications that japan will not be able to contain its growing nuclear crisis. jana joins us again. >> reporter: a lot of concern. many people who are actually leaving the country. we did get in touch with a bay area businessman who is here on a business trip during the earthquake. he is leaving today. we caught up with him before he left. wanted to share what he said to us about his experience, and also what we're seein

. >> i'm heather holmes. it has been part of san francisco culture now for more than four decades. there are serious troubles tonight for the gay pride celebration. paul chambers is live in san francisco where he talked to those involved about the financial and other struggles. >> reporter: we are live in the heart of san francisco's gay community. this june will be the 41st gay pride celebration. with three top leaders stepping down many wonder if the celebration is in danger. the flags are flying high, in pride we trust the theme for this year's celebration. some say how trustworthy is the organization that puts it on? in december the current and many toker supervisors asked the controller's office to assess the group's budget. >> it pointed out changes that needed to be made, the size that we had about a 200,000- dollar debt. >> reporter: last year groups claimed that the board didn't give them run on their invertment. some said that led to the then board president and executive director to resign in october. now they lost another top leader as the board president stepped down b

ktvu's heather holmes viewed the tape at the center of this latest case. ins us now live from the city's richmond district. heather? >> reporter: julie, it's what happened inside the third floor of this apartment building and what cameras captured that is raising concerns. i want you to take a look. this is the video of the three plain-clothed officers that swayed the judge. take a look down the hallway as police investigating narcotic activity walk inside the last apartment on the left. >> i clearly said no when i was outside. >> reporter: 23-year-old mclaren says he never agreed to the warrantless search of his apartment. saying when he refused the sergeant in charge threatened to "freeze the place if he didn't give consent." >> at that point i didn't know what to say. didn't say anything. they proceeded in my door. i walked in and they followed me. >> they were lying about how they got into the apartment. >> reporter: san francisco public defender today blasted the officers involved, saying the sequence of events documented in the police report and polic

ktvu's heather holmes talked with him and others at that meeting about effort to curb the violence. she has already learned what triggered today's shooting. heather? >> reporter: well, frank, the explosion of gang violence just continues here after someone messed with this memorial to saturday's victim who police say was a known gang member. today it was apparently payback. the gunman fired at least 15 rounds at a rival gang member standing on the sidewalk today in the mission. the latino male was hit once and a bullet pierced a nearby home. >> we have had several gang related shootings that deeply concern me. >> reporter: while his officers marked the spot where the shell casings landed on harrison and 24th streets the police chief called for an emergency meeting. the man injured but gang gunfire is the fourth injured in the mission since saturday. >> we are going to make a concerted effort to let them know that you are involved in gang activity or narcotic activity in the city and we are not going to tolerate it. >> reporter: the community leaders and the police chief met up to com

reporting live tonight here in core tea ma deer a i'm heather holmes. >>> four days have now passed since the great earthquake in japan and the crisis there appears to be getting worse by the hour. japan's prime minister kan says radiation is escaping and posing a health threat. this is a high risk of nuclear power plant explosions. the official death toll from the quake and tsunami is more than 2400 but it is still expected to climb much higher. the geological survey recalculated it and now puts the magnitude at 9 up from an 8.9. >>> threw new problems at the football game machinery a die eachy nuclear plant. it is in one of the hardest hit areas and today there was an explosion at the number 2 reactor. japanese officials say the containment structure had been damaged to what tent is not clear. and a fire probing out at the number 4 reactor but it was extinguished, they asked a nuclearening here in the bay area about the possibility of a complete meltdown. >> we don't know how much of the core is destroyed, so until we know that or up til there's some evidence of more serious events, it'

ktvu's heather holmes viewed the tape at the center of this latest case. she joins us now live from the city's richmond district. heather? >> reporter: julie, it's what happened inside the third floor of this apartment building and what cameras captured that is raising concerns. i want you to take a look. this is the video of the three plain-clothed officers that swayed the judge. take a look down the hallway as police investigating narcotic activity walk inside the last apartment on the left. >> i clearly said no when i was outside. >> reporter: 23-year-old mclaren says he never agreed to the warrantless search of his apartment. saying when he refused the sergeant in charge threatened to "freeze the place if he didn't give consent." >> at that point i didn't know what to say. didn't say anything. they proceeded in my door. i walked in and they followed me. >> they were lying about how they got into the apartment. >> reporter: san francisco public defender today blasted the officers involved, saying the sequence of events documented in the police report and

ktvu's heather holmes talked with him and others at that meeting about effort to curb the violence. she has already learned what triggered today's shooting. heather? >> reporter: well, frank, the explosion of gang violence just continues here after someone messed with this memorial to saturday's victim who police say was a known gang member. today it was apparently payback. the gunman fired at least 15 rounds at a rival gang member standing on the sidewalk today in the mission. the latino male was hit once and a bullet pierced a nearby home. >> we have had several gang related shootings that deeply concern me. >> reporter: while his officers marked the spot where the shell casings landed on harrison and 24th streets the police chief called for an emergency meeting. the man injured but gang gunfire is the fourth injured in the mission since saturday. >> we are going to make a concerted effort to let them know that you are involved in gang activity or narcotic activity in the city and we are not going to tolerate it. >> reporter: the community leaders and the police chief met up to com

ktvu's heather holmes joins us now. she is there where police are concerned about public safety. >> reporter: yes, julie, they are concerned because come july 1st this will be their only fire station in operation. a closed sign was up today outside fire station 74 in the wooded pinol valley. they are also shut ten days a month because of budget cuts but will close permanently after tonight's vote. >>> things will get really bad. >> reporter: they need to cut $1.5 million from its budget. closing the station will save nearly $900,000. >> they could be waiting for an additional six to seven minutes for a fire engine. >> reporter: but the fire chief warns the move could cost lives and property. this man hates to think of what might have happened if firefighters didn't arrive when they did after a small fire broke out in his kitchen. >> a neighbor across the street started banging on my door. i guess i must have sort of dosed off. and they called them and they came right away. so i really appreciate that they are here. >> i

reporting live tonight here in core tea ma deer a i'm heather holmes. >>> four days have now passed since the great earthquake in japan and the crisis there appears to be getting worse by the hour. japan's prime minister kan says radiation is escaping and posing a health threat. this is a high risk of nuclear power plant explosions. the official death toll from the quake and tsunami is more than 2400 but it is still expected to climb much higher. the geological survey recalculated it and now puts the magnitude at 9 up from an 8.9. >>> threw new problems at the football game machinery a die eachy nuclear plant. it is in one of the hardest hit areas and today there was an explosion at the number 2 reactor. japanese officials say the containment structure had been damaged to what tent is not clear. and a fire probing out at the number 4 reactor but it was extinguished, they asked a nuclearening here in the bay area about the possibility of a complete meltdown. >> we don't know how much of the core is destroyed, so until we know that or up til there's some evidence of more serious events, it'

ktvu's heather holmes joins us now. she is there where police are concerned about public safety. >> reporter: yes, julie, they are concerned because come july 1st this will be their only fire station in operation. a closed sign was up today outside fire station 74 in the wooded pinol valley. they are also shut ten days a month because of budget cuts but will close permanently after tonight's vote. >>> things will get really bad. >> reporter: they need to cut $1.5 million from its budget. closing the station will save nearly $900,000. >> they could be waiting for an additional six to seven minutes for a fire engine. >> reporter: but the fire chief warns the move could cost lives and property. this man hates to think of what might have happened if firefighters didn't arrive when they did after a small fire broke out in his kitchen. >> a neighbor across the street started banging on my door. i guess i must have sort of dosed off. and they called them and they came right away. so i really appreciate that they are here. >> i

. >> hello, again, everyone, i'm heather holmes. well, high win, relentless rain and flooding concerns on this night before spring as winter just refuses to say good-bye. as one storm moves out of the bay area another one moves in. mark tamayo is tracking the rain zest weather. we have reporters in the hardest hit areas including the santa cruz mountains. that's where christian is live tonight. christian? >> reporter: it heather the temperatures have dropped and the rain is driving and the wind is really picking up. taking a look at the conditions right now we are dealing right now with a high wind warning. that was issued about an hour ago. high profile vehicles like vans and trucks need to be aware of that. there is also warning the wind could topple trees into the power lines that could lead to isolated power outages. and the rain could lead to a flash food warning. that flash flood warning starting in the santa cruz mountains in an hour. >> wind and rain and i didn't think it was raining this much. >> reporter: he has lived here

. >> i'm heather holmes. another crisis tonight in japan stemming from the 8.9 earthquake and tsunami. an emergency at a third nuclear reactor, the second today. there are reports but an official said an meltdown is a possibility. the ambassador to the united states denies there is evidence though of a meltdown. the nuclear agency said the cooling system malfunctioned at unit three of the plant that is 170 miles from tokoyo. earlier there was an explosion at the same complex of the outer building that houses the reactor. leaks have been detected. officials say 20kilometers is safe but it may change and go wider. it's disturbing. >> evacuations have been ordered for all residents with in a dozen miles of the plant. that's more than 200,000 people and we also know that iodine tablets are being given out. back here the impact much the tsunami is very real investment live coverage. we start with deborah live in santa cruz where new evacuations are in place so engineers can look at damage. >> reporter: people here

i'm heather holmes. >> and i'm ken pritchett. with gas prices threatening to hit record highs, president obama's top aid says that president oe be ma may tap into the neigh -- president obama may tap into the oil reserves. >> i think the sense this recovery is real and strong and growing. but there are prices like the price of energy that can add a real problem to it. there's real pain as this recovery is going on. >>> it's unclear exactly how much oil production has been affected by the turmoil in north africa and the middle east. there are reports most of libya's oil exports have been halted but saudi arabia says they would peak prices. maureen naylor has found a couple of people who have been hit hard and what this might mean to you. >> reporter: the rain is coming down, the cost of farming is going up. we talked to the man who farms this small operation here in san jose. he says the cost of diesel alone went up $5 in the last week alone. a coast that will likely have to be passed on to the consumer. an oe oasis of agriculture

heather holmes is off tonight. with flooding and blocked roads, the bay area has been inundated and some communities are overwhelmed. this is video right now in capitola. a video of the mess was sent to us of the floodwaters. our meteorologist is following the storm front. we begin with ktvu's jim vargas. >> ken, this is just devastating for some down here in capitola. we will show you what the flood left from 9 to 2 this afternoon there was a rushing river down there. >> reporter: this video was shot by a local resident just as crews thought they could beat the storm and replace the culvert that gave way two days ago. the destruction that started thursday. >> this was way worse than thursday. this is probably closer to three feet coming out to do this damage. >> reporter: pretty bad? >> really bad. if you had a raft you may as well go rafting. >> so very, very high water just rushing so strongly with big waves going right down capitola. >> reporter: yes. >> just going into the village, horrible, horrible. >> repor

. >> and i'm heather holmes. thank you so much for joining us. we hope to see you back here tonight at 10:00. >> live stormtracker 2, live radar images, keeping you ahead of the storm. live stormtracker 2, complete bay area weather coverage. [ music ]

i'm heather holmes. >> and i'm ken wayne. that powerful storm that rolled through the bay area last night is now lashing southern california. even though it's hundreds of miles away it's still having an effect here in california. >> it's a lot more calm right now, and we just checked with southwest in the last half hour they say none of its scheduled flights. it was bob hope airport that seemed to get hit the hardest today. low visibility and high winds prompted the cancellation of at least five flights between the bay area. >> reporter: hail, yes. along with rain and rainbows this evening, but it was winter in burbank causing trouble here tonight. >> reporter: these burbank travelers were rushing through the airport trying to get their flight. >> we immediately came to the airport and tried to get into another flight. >> i got a call from my mother saying that due to winds there's water in the valley and the roads and everything and i laughed at her. oops. she was right. mom was right. >> that's not even a ticket for getting

good evening everyone i'm heather holmes. >> and i'm ken wayne. the worse of the weather problems are gone but there are more problems left in its wake. ktv us's patty lee joins us to explain why cutting tree helps give the neighborhood a enough needed reprieve, patti. >> reporter: these homes threatening to fall on homes because they are sitting on hills that are giving way. trees averaging 70 to 80 feet tall were cut town. packed mid-trunk. to keep them from toppling on the two houses already threatened by a landslide. leon walker owned one of the homes yellow tagged yesterday. >> they're going to have to shore up the entire hillside. >> reporter: this afternoon, flanked by other residents he insisted the city and county should have expected this crisis. given what happened here about 30 years ago. >> that was prefabbed because it slid down the bill. if i had that disclosed to me at the time i would have never bought this house. >> there was a pretty massive slide back then, we're reviewing the records and getting familiar with those issues as w

i'm heather holmes. >> i'm ken wayne. we will have the latest in a moment. first developing news in the east bay before bart crews working to restore service after a train derailment. the aftermath of the derailment that left two cars jack knifed near the concord station. right now workers trying to clear the tracks to restore train service but will they have the job done in time for tomorrow morning? deborah has been monitoring the situation all night and is live with the very latest. >> reporter: they are going to be out here working all night long. take a look. they have a huge crane and behind those bushes are the tracks and the cars that they need to get realigned. right now there is no service east of pleasant hill either direction and there may not be for monday's rush unless they beat the clock. a huge clean is here to pluck two 70-foot bart cars off the tracks and set them down straight. 30-tons each like toy, they jolted riders this morning when they jackknifed. >> quakes, like a bomb. you know what i'm saying, scary. >> something like this has nev

as ktvu's heather holmes explains a bay area company is designing it. and a marin teen who was almost killed by a batted ball is endorsing it. >> reporter: there's little time to react. >> this is the new prototype helmet. >> reporter: to come up with a new device that provides more safety for pitchers. >> it hit around here. this hard shell would have protected that. >> reporter: gunner san dburg spent a month in a coma. and underwent several surgeries to reduce swelling in his brain. >> after this, it doesn't need to happen anymore. >> we need it to be comfortable. which this is. >> reporter: others support the protective head gear. >> this type of product needs to be introduced at the very youngest level of youth baseball. >> reporter: and while there has been lots of testing, it is still in the prototype phase and maybe years before it is required equipment. the sandburgs who successfully fought for new bat standards won't stop until that happens. >> will i ever ski without a helmet? no, would i ever get in my car without a seat belt? no, would i ev

. >> and lowe again everyone, i'm heather holmes. gang violence escalated last weekend with the shooting death of a 24-year-old man. police have stepped up patrols. but tonight they are getting some additional help. new at 10:00 tonight guardian angels are on patrol. ktvu's deborah villalon talked with the unarmed volunteers who believe they can make a difference. >> reporter: heather, we are on mission street where that man was gunned down followed a few case later by a shoot-out nearby. now the folks and red w -- berets want to calm the tension. >> we get a lot of drugs in this area. >> reporter: four shootings and two stabbings in two weeks. rival latin gangs at war police say. and now the guardian angels are coming in with confidence and precision. >> thereto a love of people getting shot. >> reporter: the gang target wounded but alive. bullets that might have hit anyone. >> if my mom is walking down the street, i don't want her to be worried is she going to get shot in the head? >> jackie in her bullet proof vest gets gang life

heather holmes is off tonight. the storm that blew through the bay area this morning has left extensive damage tonight in the coastal community of capitola where a torrent of water roared through the heart of town. as you can see in this slide picture, most of the water is gone but a mess remains. and the cleanup is going to take sometime. as ktvu's jim vargas reports, the flooding was caused by a broken drainage pipe that first collapsed on thursday. >> reporter: this video was shot by a local resident this morning. they thought they could beat the storm and repair the culvert. the forces of nature handed them defeat and ended in destruction since thursday. >> this was worse than thursday. this was close to three feet coming out that did this damage. >> reporter: pretty bad? >> really bad. if you had a raft you may as well go rafting. it was very, very high water just rushing so strongly with big waves going right down capitola. >> reporter: yes. >> just going to the village. horrible, horrible. >> reporter: at th

heather holmes was at the unveiling. she's live to tell us what makes this helmet so different. ather? >> reporter: well, when high school players hit the field in the fewer -- in the future, the pitcher might be wearing this today. i saw it earlier, it's much slimmer and slickkyier than those other helmets. one player said it's so comfortable he could probably sleep in it. >> this is the new prototype -- >> reporter: to come one a new device that provides more safety for pitchers facing dangerous shock. >> i was hit around here. so obviously this hard shell would have protected that. >> reporter: 17-year-old gunner sandberg spent a month in a coma and underwent surgery to relieve the bleeding in his brain. >> after what we've been through this year, it doesn't need to happen anymore. >> we want to be comfortable -- >> reporter: others support the protective head gear. >> this type of product needs to be introduced at the very youngest levels of youth baseball. >> reporter: and while there has been a lot of testing, it's still in the prototype phase and it may be years before it'

. >> and hello everyone i'm heather holmes. japan is trying to skirt a nuclear catastrophe following that 8.9 earthquake and then tsunami. they said a partial meltdown is likely underway inside an earthquake damaged reactor. >> we do believe that there is a possibility that meltdown has occurred. it is inside the reactor. >> now, this news comes after an earlier explosion at another reactor at this same facility. experts say that explosion was likely caused by hydrogen gas that forms when water hits super-heated fuel rods. well, the blast destroyed the building housing the reactor but not the reactor itself which is encased by six inch thick stainless steel. the government though today ordered the evacuation of 170,000 people. everyone living within 12 miles of this plant. (speaking japanese). >> officials say 10 kilometers or 20 kilometers is safe but the radiation may change and go out wider. it is very disturbing. >> workers are currently trying to prevent a meltdown by pumping sea water into the reactor in an effort to try

. >> and i'm heather holmes. an explosive device injured a man rate in front of his home and forced evacuations in his entire neighborhood. debra what's the latest? >> reporter: the victim picked up his morning paper only to have it explode in his hand. that was seven hours ago, and as you can see, this is still an active crime scene. the house in question is beyond that red tape. news chopper 2 was overhead. neighbors thought the boom they heard was a gunshot, and then it turned out to be what they thought was an acid bond. >> we are uncertain at this time. >> reporter: other nearby yards were searched, and an automated phone warning went out. >> we're talking about explosive twices in a neighborhood. we can only be cautious. we have to have an abundance of coghlan. >> reporter: correcters concluded this was an isolated incident. >> i cannot answer any questions why this individual is a person who found a bomb in his drive way. >> reporter: some families aren't returning hope tonight, too nervous. >> they're fre

. >> i'm heather holmes. it was a soggy ending to another bay area winter as a powerful storm moved through last flight with winds strong enough to bring down trees. >> reporter: you talked act the trees this is one of them. you can see this tree came down and left this giant crater in the driveway of this house. you can see a little bit of pipe. that is part of the gas line to this home and that gas line and that break prompted a three hour evacuation in this neighborhood. this morning crews from berkeley started clearing this pine tree that came crashing down at about 10:40 last night, noah lives just across the street. >> we were watching the tv. we thought it was thunder but we didn't see lightning. my daughter said some tree landed on us. >> reporter: tree pulled the gas line out of the meter sending a cloud into the neighborhood. >> then the police came and knocking on the door and saying that people have to evacuate gas leak is there. >> reporter: g era rd's mother lives in this home and despite the ga

i'm heather holmes. we'll see you back here at 10:00.

reporting live tonight here in san francisco, i'm heather holmes, ktvu, channel 2 news. [ music ] >> the wet weather force as venue change for brittney spear's free concert in san francisco. why that's being met with both disappointment and relief. >>> and tomorrow morning's commute will be as bad as they come. i will be back in about ten minutes with the latest computer models that take you right through . >>> it was supposed to be a nationally televised concert with castro street blocked off for brittney spears. but tonight ktvu's amber lee is live in the city with a major change of plans because of the weather. amber? >> reporter: frank, here in the castro tonight there are mixed emotions about moving the concert out of this neighborhood and into bill graham civic auditorium this sunday. the awe announcement came this afternoon. the popular hot cookie shop makes no secret that its owner is sweet on brittney spears. there is a poster out front. to accommodate the expected crowds, dan told us he was going to open the store three hours early and bring in extra employees. >>> we are r

reporting live tonight here in san francisco, i'm heather holmes, ktvu, channel 2 news. [ music ] >> the wet weather force as venue change for brittney spear's free concert in san francisco. why that's being met with both disappointment and relief. >>> and tomorrow morning's commute will be as bad as they come. i will be back in about ten minutes with the latest computer models that take you right through the morning commute. >>> this morning six feet of snow here at blue canyon with more storms, more snow on the way. [ music ] . >>> it was supposed to be a nationally televised concert with castro street blocked off for brittney spears. but tonight ktvu's amber lee is live in the city with a major change of plans because of the weather. amber? >> reporter: frank, here in the castro tonight there are mixed emotions about moving the concert out of this neighborhood and into bill graham civic auditorium this sunday. the awe announcement came this afternoon. the popular hot cookie shop makes no secret that its owner is sweet on brittney spears. there is a poster out front. to accommodate