jenelle, good morning. >> good morning, eric. i still have a smile on my face so that's a good thing. no snow at all but lots of rain coming down. we've got high winds, blustery winds. we've got fog in some spots and we've got mudslides, rocks falling, possible trees falling. possible standing water. when i was driving up here -- oh, there it is now. it's dark outside. fortunately i bought new tires a couple weeks ago. i had thick tread going on so that helped a lot. saw sanders, loaders and big trucks along highway 17. ready to rock and roll at a moment's notice. but since there's no snow, they're patrolling for other hazards. if you see a truck with orange lights flashing, stay out of their way. they're doing their thing. >> we're on standby, getting ready for the snow. apparently there's no snow but what we're concerned about now is the heavy winds. because it's been raining all last night, we're concerned about the wind comin' up and toppling over trees. >> the school districts in the mountains are also prepared for anything.

. >> i'm jenelle wang live in the santa cruz mountains.o snow but we've got lots of rain and lots of other dangerous goodies. i'll have your morning commute along highway 17 coming up. >> jenelle, i know how you feel. we've got localized flooding here in marin county, strong winds. we'll hear it all coming up in a live report. >> it is 5 a.m. on this friday morning. hey, mike, i think we found the precipitation for ya. thanks for joining us. i'm eric thomas. >> it is dumping in the santa cruz mountains. i was hoping terry had waterproof shoes. the bay area is indeed -- it's going to be a wet and wild commute. >> only going to get wetter and wilder. he's laughing already. he's a meteorologist, they enjoy weather. >> i'm laughing that kristen was looking at his shoes. it's not a laughing matter. it can be dangerous out there with ponding on the roadways. chuck going to kristen looking at the shoes. he knows shoe fashion. on mount hamilton, that's where the snow level is. it's that high so everything falling where we live is all rain this mor

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> all right. thank you, jenelle. it's 6:03 now.e have breaking news in san francisco. arson investigators are on the scene of another suspicious fire in the castro. we're told a small fire was apparently set outside the door of a hope at 18th and callingwood. a neighbor helped put it out before firefighters got there. the blaze though is in the same area where three fires broke out yesterday morning about this time. one of the fires heavily damaged an apartment building at 16th and market street. it was recorded on a cellphone by a nearby resident. look at those flames. another fire broke out in a trash can on market street and the third fire was in a building under construction blocks away. investigators now believe all of yesterday's fires were intentionally set but they don't know if they were set by the same people. >> 6:04. oakland police chief anthony batts is expected to announce today whether he'll stay in his job. if he does decide to stay, he's going to have to focus on the serious communication problems exposed in a high

i'm jenelle wang. >> say that again. >> it's friday, i'm jenelle wang, thanks for joining us.laughter) >> thank you. today could be the biggest protest yet against egyptian president hosni mubarak. it's been, as you know, packed in cairo's square and mubarak's announcement yesterday angered hundreds of thousands of protestors who want him to step down immediately. emily schmidt has the latest. >> it's day 18 in cairo. people are gathered in the square for what they vow will be their biggest gathering yet and there's news that military leaders have held an important meeting about all that's unfolding. but the protestors it's like day one, the first day after demonstrators thought they had forced their president to step down. for that reason much of thursday there was joy and relief. >> our dream came true and whatever we had been fighting for since the 25th of january is now being realized. >> the crowds gathered waiting for president mubarak to resign in a televised address. they were stunned by what he said. mubarak told him though he would transfer some powers to his newly a

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thank you very much. back here a light earthquake rattled california's redwood country. it shook parts of mendocino and lake counties around 8:49 last night. it was in the national forest about 22 miles east of willis. there was no report of any damage. >> six hours from now san francisco's police commission will again take up one of the hottest topics in recent memory weather to arm officers with tasers. amy? >> kristen san jose has been, oakland has them, but here in san francisco they're very controversial. now, supporters point to tasers that it's better to reach for a stun gun than firearm. now district attorney george gascon is a huge proponent for tasers. he's worked hard for them. half a dozen of san francisco police shootings could have been avoided if the officers had tasers. so he's got new information and three new members on the police commission so he's going to try again. the opponents can point to other research and other studies that back up their claims that tasers are dangerous, they do

eric, jenelle? >> frances, thanks so much.ime now 6:10. >> straight ahead: get a room! the demand made of two dozen washington d.c. lawmakers who apparently use their office for more than work. >> is google to blame? the new study thatúp6x6x6x6x6x6x ♪ >> good morning, everyone. 6:13 this friday morning on the abc 7 morning news. a look from sutro camera down at the city, the pretty lights, the clear conditions which means it's cold outside. but as mike's been telling us, there's a change in the weather, one that might have you wanting to put your summer clothes back in the closet and get out your ugg's. >> and umbrellas. >> but ugg's first. i do have some ugg's. the navy reached a new agreement with the environmental protection agency to help clean up toxic vapors at moffett field. the san jose mercury news reports projects involving the navy and various contractors leaked toxins decades ago. it doesn't believe the vapors pose immediate health risks but it is concerned about long-term effects and wants special ventilation syst

live in the news room, jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thank you very much.e've heard reports that the military might move in if it gets too violent down there. 6:15 now. jerry brown is now considering a plan here in california that would mean june's special election on extending taxes would be a mail-in-only ballot. considering the idea because many believe it would be the most likely way to get the tax extensions approved. a poll shows a strong majority of voters over the age of 65 which support brown's proposal to extend taxes on sales, personal income and license fees while younger voters are more split on the issue. older voters are most likely to vote by mail and would save counties millions of dollars in election costs. >> a muni driver and mechanic are on administrative leave after an accident involving an empty bus. this crashed into a light pole around 8:30 yesterday morning. muni says the driver and mechanic were working on the bus which had broken down when it suddenly began rolling away. reports show the parking brake had not been set. >> we have

>> yes, i am, jenelle. >> you've been following this all day. what are you seeing and hearing in new zealand. >> let me paint a picture for what it's like for people in san francisco. it could be right around where the san francisco zoo is just a few miles below the surface there and rippling toward san francisco toward the business district. christ church doesn't have a business district like san francisco with the big high rises but they have low rise buildings and one standing is 17 floors. that's a tall building for christ church. there's a lot of old masonry. a lot are old buildings and there's new buildings. it's in those new buildings where most of the people are still missing are being searched for. they say there's around 100 people unaccounted for in six different sites and the crews are working in the cold and the wet. it is summer here in new zealand but it's still a cold, drizzly wet night in christ church. >> this is a busy area. i know it's a popular tourist destination, too. >> it is indeed. i've been down to this exact neighborh

jenelle wang is live in the news room with the latest. jenelle?> kristen, 65 people are confirmed dead and the prime minister warns the death toll could rise significantly. the 6.3 earthquake hit during the lunchtime rush hour on tuesday in the city of christ church. that's the country's second largest city. the metropolitan area has nearly 400,000 residents. many are still trapped or feared dead underneath the rubble. the power is in and out so water supply is jeopardized. new zealand is calling it one of the worst disasters in the country's history. >> the table in the restaurant. yeah, two or three people that came in on me. yeah. >> the landmark church in christ church is severely damaged. you can see pictures of it right there, the top part completely toppled down. we also hear the airport at christ church is closed at this time but domestic flights will resume later today. this is the second earthquake to hit the area in five months. the one in september was actually larger, a magnitude 7.1 but no one died in that quake. today's 6.3 quake is

. >> i'm jenelle wang in for kristen sze. egypt's military has thrown their support behind egyptian president hosni mubarak. he will not step down but step sideways until the election in september. it angered protestors even more. amy hollyfield is live in the news room with more. >> the pictures coming into the news room this morning are incredible. let me show you a live picture. we've never seen crowds this large this early in the day. they're calling for millions of people to come out and rally. (chanting) >> protestors say they are now more determined than ever to boost egyptian president hosni mubarak out of office. this is their 18th day of demonstrations. their realize today may turn violent although so far the day has been peaceful. mubarak shocked people yesterday when he defiantly announced he would say in office until september. earlier in the day political and military leaders had indicated that mubarak would step down. >> you know, whatever we have been fighting for since the 25th of january is now being realize

reporting live in the news room, jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thank you very much.'s 4:51 now. overseas a suicide bomber linked to the taliban killed at least 31 pakistani troops and wounded 42 others today. it happened during training exercises near the afghan border. it was one of the worst attacks on security forces in recent months. the pakistani army and police say the suicide bomber was a teenager in a school uniform. the pakistani taliban says he was a soldier at the camp who volunteered for the attack. >> bus drivers and public transit workers in cairo joined thousands of state employees on strike. prompting the momentum into the government protests. thousands continue to pack the square. the foreign minister says reinvigorated protests could be potential for a coup. it could result in a new crackdown. activists are calling for an expanded rally tomorrow hoping to repeat a showing earlier this week that drew about a quarter million people. >> the u.s. ambassador to the united nations is in san francisco this morning to host a global town hall at twitter head

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thanks a lot. it's 5:02. the san francisco police commission will take up the controversial issue of arming officers with tasers. the police chief has been pushing hard for them. you can expect heated debate along with a vote. amy hollyfield is live at the hall of justice with details. >> kristen, are they effective? can the city afford them right now? these are the questions the commissioners have been asking. supporters point to tasers as a nice alternative to the police baton or firearm. they call them a less lethal option. george gascon has been a big proponent of it is a sers. he commissioned a study that shootings could have been avoided if the officers had tasers. gascon asked the police commission last year for tasers but was rejected. police administrators feel so strongly they're going to ask for them again tonight. a fresh issue tonight, one of the new members say she will likely vote against them. a tough fight for the police. opponents worry that tasers are not safe. hundreds of stun-gun related

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> all right, jenelle. get out of that wind.he berkeley city council failed to pass a controversial resolution that would allow to you former quantanamo bay detainees to live in the city. a resident had offered one of the men who has been cleared of all charges live in her home. but that's unlikely because president obama signed an act last month prohibiting the u.s. for paying for the relocation of cleared detainees. in the end berkeley's resolution did not get the five votes needed to pass. disgraced fund street manager bernie madoff is talking for the first time since his conviction and one of the biggest ponzi schemes in history. some of the biggest banks and hedge funds were complicit in his scheme but would not say way institutions were involved. they are suing j. p. morgan chase in an attempt to get some money back from the investors he defrauded out of billions. the bank denies doing anything wrong. madoff is serving a life sentence. >> a teacher suspended for her profanity-laced blocking says she was telling the truth a

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> all right, jenelle. get out of that wind.the berkeley city council failed to pass a controversial resolution that would allow to you former quantanamo bay detainees to live in the city. a resident had offered one of the men who has been cleared of all charges live in her home. but that's unlikely because president obama signed an act last month prohibiting the u.s. for paying for the relocation of cleared detainees. in the end berkeley's resolution did not get the five votes needed to pass. disgraced fund street manager bernie madoff is talking for the first time since his conviction and one of the biggest ponzi schemes in history. some of the biggest banks and hedge funds were complicit in his scheme but would not say way institutions were involved. they are suing j. p. morgan chase in an attempt to get some money back from the investors he defrauded out of billions. the bank denies doing anything wrong. madoff is serving a life sentence. >> a teacher suspended for her profanity-laced blocking says she was telling the truth

i'm jenelle wang live in the news room turning up the heat in egypt.overnment protestors vowed to stage their largest demonstration today and it appears the white house is now fighting with them asking egyptian president hosni mubarak to step down immediately. >> here's a live look from sutro tower. notice how clear. a chilly start but above average temperatures are on the way. i'll tell you how long they last. >> chp did issue a fog advisory for the golden gate bridge but you can see it's no longer necessary. traffic is light although there was a problem from fremont. >> oakland is having more problems with the police department radio system. how it can be putting the officers' lives in danger. good friday morning, everyone. it is 4:30. we thank you for joining us and ending your week here. i'm eric thomas. >> and i'm kristen sze. the obama administration is talking with egyptian officials having the president resign immediately. they are protesting loudly in cairo's main square. >> anti-government demonstrators are vowing to stage the largest and mos

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle thank you. 4:32.ack here drivers hate them cities love them and now a national traffic safety group is making a strong argument for red light cameras. and the results of the study may have bay area cities installing more of them. terry mcsweeney is live in san francisco to explain. terry? >> yeah. this is a study by the insurance institute of highway safety and it says that 159 lives were saved in the 14 cities it was studying over the course of this five-year study. if you're a drive and don't know what these red light cameras look like that's what they look like. this is 5th and harrison in san francisco and there are 33 other ones here. take a look here in the bay area. south san francisco has them, redwood city from santa rosa to san ramon down to san jose. they're all over the place. now this new study did not include any of the local cities in its study. but it did find that the rate of all failed crashes at intersections with signals fell 14% in camera cities and went up 2% in non-camera cities

back to you folks. >> jenelle, thank you.n chicago the polls have opened when voters get to pick a new mayor. ron emanuel has been the front runner in both polls and fund-raising to replace mayor richard daily. karl moseley-braun is also among half dozen people running for the post. this election marks the first time in more than 20 years that a daily hasn't been on the chicago ballot. >> a woman who inspired a major motion picture are pushing for safer drinking water in california. erin brockovich will announce a bill that will set standards for chemicals in drinking water. that chemical was the subject of the movie erin brockovich in the town that was contaminated by a cancer-causing agent. tap water nationwide including san jose contained the chemical. >> video rental giant blockbuster is hoping to auction itself off in a new plan to stabilize its business during bankruptcy. blockbuster's creditors put in an opening bid of 290 million to draw in other buyers. if there are no takers they will control the dvd rental company

i'm jenelle wang live in the news room.ll is calm right now in cairo but it was a violent night and shaping up to what could be a violent day as they intensify protests to force the president out of office by tomorrow. >> 50 children are taken from a marin county science center after becoming sick. 90 more sent home this morning. >> weatherwise calmer and much colder this morning than it was yesterday morning. we'll talk about above average temperatures and search for the much needed rain. >> a ton of road work that may slow you down. i'll have the details on 880 and 92 coming up. >> and the feds warn oakland again, anyone running a marijuana farm faces federal prosecution. >> i'm eric thomas. >> i'm kristen sze. topping our news egypt's prime minister is apologizing this morning for the attack on anti-government protestors. overnight more gunshots rang out as tanks tried to end the clashes between the two sides. jenelle wang is live following the latest out of cairo. >> secretary of state hillary clinton is also urging egy

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thank you very much. state narcotics officer is in a contra costa jail this morning. they've been arrested on the suspicion of selling drugs. norman welch has been with the drug enforcement team for a dozen years and 49-year-old private investigator christopher butler previously worked with welch on the antioch police force. state investigators arrested both men yesterday accused of stealing drugs from an evidence locker and trying to sell them. it could compromise every investigation conducted by the narcotics task force under this officer's tenure. it could make the san francisco crime lab fiasco look minor by compares son. >> a witness says about 10 police officers were looking for evidence at butler's concord business office yesterday. >> in san jose, mayor chuck reid will deliver his state of the city address tonight. expected to talk about the $110 million budget shortfall facing the city and the possibility it may have to eliminate the jobs of about 1,000 employees. this year's address will be held

live in the news room, jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thank you very much. it's 5:49 now., a suicide bomber linked to the taliban killed at least 31 pakistani troops and wounded 42 others. it happened during a training exercise at the army training camp near the afghan border. it's one of the worst attacks on security forces in the recent months. police say the suicide bomber was a teenager in a school uniform. the pakistani taliban says he was a soldier of the camp who volunteered for the attack. >> in egypt today bus drivers and public transit workers in cairo join thousands of state employees on strike. the labor unrest has pumped furtherel strength and momentum into anti-government protests. thousands of people continue to pack the square. egypt's foreign minister says reinvigorated protests could be potential for a coup. some believe a protest could result in a new crackdown. activists are calling for an expanded rally tomorrow hoping to repeat a showing earlier this week that drew about a quarter million people. >> the u.s. ambassador of the united nations host as gl

jenelle following all the new developments. >> kristen, the obama administration says it will throw its weight behind a european effort to expel libya from the human rights body and looking at the alleged tragedies of the regimen. the government just announced it has frozen any assets belonging to qaddafi in switzerland. >> state tv was called by qaddafi today and blamed the revolution on osama bin laden saying al-queda followers had given young libyans hallucinogenic drugs to get them to vote. it may appear like a pro-democracy movement but a former c.i.a. agent tracking down osama bin laden thinks otherwise. >> i think it's dangerous towards america. things are going towards islam but not going towards secular democracy in all these countries. >> meantime more members of qaddafi's inner circle have defected including one of his top lieutenants of 40 years. two libyan pilots chose to eject and crash their fighter plane instead of bombing the second largest citi, the heart of the uprising. they have gained control of the entire even half of libya. >> it's not civil war, there is revolut

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thanks a lot. the labor department released what some are calling very good or very clouded jobs report full of both good and bad news. it says the unemployment raid dropped from 9.4% to 9% last month, the lowest level in nearly two years. but it contained a big disappointment. 36,000 new jobs were added last month and that's the fewest in four months. economists were expecting nearly 150,000 new jobs. >> 36,000 jobs added in a single month isn't even enough to keep up with the new workers that the economy adds every month. so we need to see a level significantly higher than this to really start making headway and kind of filling in the recessionary gaps in the number of jobs that we've lost. >> california's unemployment is still much higher at 12.5%. economists believe brutal winter storms maybe partly to blame for the small number of new jobs created last month nationwide. speaking of jobs, abc 7 is cosponsoring another free job fair next tuesday. it will be on concord february 8th at center conc

live in the news room jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thank you very much. our time now 6:44.is pushing for big spending cuts and tax extensions. yesterday he urged lawmakers to back a special election in june to let the public vote on his tax proposal. during his state of the state address he cited civil unrest in tunisia whether californians should have a voice in his plan. >> the plan for the right to vote are stirring imagination of young people in egypt and tunisia and other places in the world. we in california can't say now is the time to block the vote of the people. >> republicans say this is not the time to extend the higher taxes, especially since a similar proposal, proposition 1-a, was already voted down by the people in 2009. other gop lawmakers say they would not object to a valued text measure if votes gathered up signatures through the initiative process. >> one of president bush's daughters is coming out in favor of gay marriage. >> new york is about fairness and equality and everyone should have the right to marry the person they love. >> barbara bush lives

. >> i'm jenelle wang live in the news room. president says he will step down but tensions are still rising at this hour. anti-government demonstrators are clashing with supporters who have shown up in the heart of cairo. the latest coming up. >> and the new passenger scanning device that security officials say wil3q lysol knows you work hard every day to help keep your family healthy. especially during cold and flu season. that's why we make lysol disinfectant spray. it is approved to kill more germs than any other brand, even h1n1. and it works on hard and soft surfaces to help keep your home healthy. lysol, the number one pediatrician-recommended brand. let lysol do more for you. check for coupons in your sunday paper. >>> good morning! waking up to clear skies here locally but the airport is closed in chicago with over 17 inches of snow on the ground. a couple more expected. we've got ice in the northeast from connecticut to new york city. expect it to change over to snow later. you can expect probably shut down some airport

kristen. >> jenelle, thank you. a new report suggests laurence livermore didn't keep track of heavy drugs. some drugs were missing and in one case they found more opium and black tar heroin than records show had been purchased legally. those create an opportunity for improper and illegal use. laurence livermore lab handles 42 different kinds of drug for biomedical research and forensic science. they agree a more rigorous tracking system was needed. >> lisa in for mike nicco. >> a flood advisory until 3:00 today. downed trees, downed power lines and looking live at the bay bridge. very gusty winds out there and we've got high waves as well. i'll be back with the deal tailed forecast. and a dry weekend coming up. >> the new study that could raise new concerns for any parent putting their child in a crib. ♪ >>> science fiction movies may become real life on board the international space station. japan's space agency is thinking about putting a talking humanoid robot on board the station to keep an eye on things while a

jenelle following all the new developments. >> kristen, the obama administration says it will throw itseight behind a european effort to expel libya from the human rights body and looking at the alleged tragedies of the regimen. the government just announced it has frozen any assets belonging to qaddafi in switzerland. >> state tv was called by qaddafi today and blamed the revolution on osama bin laden saying al-queda followers had given young libyans hallucinogenic drugs to get them to vote. it may appear like a pro-democracy movement but a former c.i.a. agent tracking down osama bin laden thinks otherwise. >> i think it's dangerous towards america. things are going towards islam but not going towards secular democracy in all these countries. >> meantime more members of qaddafi's inner circle have defected including one of his top lieutenants of 40 years. two libyan pilots chose to eject and crash their fighter plane instead of bombing the second largest citi, the heart of the uprising. they have gained control of the entire even half of libya. >> it's not civil war, there is revolutio

i'm jenelle wang.the headlines this morning new video is emerging out of new zeal landers look for survivors. the number of dead is rising. >> i'm amy hollyfield live in san francisco where the debate will rage once again: should police officers carry tasers? the story coming up. >> partly cloudy, cool and dry this morning into the afternoon hours. this time tomorrow we'll be tracking rain and snow. i'll show you where the winter storm watch is in effect for parts of the bay area. >> a quiet start this morning. no trouble at the bay bridge toll plaza or even anywhere else right now. >> we like it. it's 5:00 this wednesday. thanks for starting your day with us. i'm kristen sze. >> i'm eric thomas.

kristen. >> jenelle, thank you. new report suggests laurence livermore didn't keep track of heavy drugs. some drugs were missing and in one case they found more opium and black tar heroin than records show had been purchased legally. those create an opportunity for improper and illegal use. laurence livermore lab handles 42 different kinds of drug for biomedical research and forensic science. they agree a more rigorous tracking system was needed. >> lisa in for mike nicco. >> a flood advisory until 3:00 today. downed trees, downed power lines and looking live at the bay bridge. very gusty winds out there and we've got high waves as well. i'll be back with the deal tailed forecast. and a dry weekend coming up. >> the new study that could raise new concerns for any parent putting their child in a crib.  ♪ >>> science fiction movies may become real life on board the international space station. japan's space agency is thinking about putting a talking humanoid robot on board the station to keep

jenelle wang is live in the news room with the latest developments. >> it's a familiar scene in the middle east this morning, this time in bahrain. the military has taken control of key parts of the capital and put them on lockdown. demonstrators have been holding rallies since monday calling for sweeping political change but things turned violent after a pre-dawn raid. (gunfire) >> at least four people were killed and many more critically wounded and missing after hundreds of police officers stormed the protestors' makeshift encampment in pearl square. women and children were asleep intents when they were faced with tear gas and rubber bullets. they are demanding greater political freedom and more jobs. police have put barbed wire around the city's central square but protestors vowed to return today. the u.s. clarified its stance toward protest movements saying it does not and has not been taking sides between demonstrators and government. its support is for democracy, human rights and non-violence. >> we call on both sides in countries where these demonstrations are taking place to be no

live in the news room, jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thanks a lot.rnoon state regulators are scheduled to vote on implementing state regulations on utilities operating natural pipelines in the state. the california public utilities commission will consider new reporting requirements for operators whose pipeline pressures accidentally spiked above legal limits but critics say the changes will not do enough because they apparently would not require pg&e or other utilities to notify regulators if natural gas levels exceed legal limits during planned pressure surges. assemblyman jerry hill says the new requirements would still allow pg&e to continue the same activities that could cause the san bruno pipeline to weaken before last september's explosion that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes. >> the name of the south bay's busiest airport is already a mouthful. but san jose city leaders think that name is too short by about two words. abc 7's amy hollyfield is live at manetta and what two words are okay. >> that rolled right off your tongue. i don

jenelle wang. >> it's 4:51. back here in the bay area, the giants have officially started their spring training. we'll have their first workout today in the start for the quest to defend their world series title. pitchers and catchered reported yesterday. brian wilson, pocze and team veterans who came in a few days early. the champs anxious to get back into the swing of things on the field. >> the season was over and i was already kind of anthoniy about getting back and going again. it definitely makes it more fun to come in with that world series title. >> yeah. >> he's got lots of skills but i still have shoes older than him. the oakland a's report in phoenix today. >> right when we're thinking baseball, wouldn't you know it the weather turns more winter-like. >> talk about cooler conditions and even some rain that's going to be heavier today than it was yesterday. this could be the biggest bout of rain we have during this whole return to winter this week. looking live at the embarcadero. a little breezy here

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thanks a lot.he labor department released what some are calling very good or very clouded jobs report full of both good and bad news. it says the unemployment raid dropped from 9.4% to 9% last month, the lowest level in nearly two years. but it contained a big disappointment. 36,000 new jobs were added last month and that's the fewest in four months. economists were expecting nearly 150,000 new jobs. >> 36,000 jobs added in a single month isn't even enough to keep up with the new workers that the economy adds every month. so we need to see a level significantly higher than this to really start making headway and kind of filling in the recessionary gaps in the number of jobs that we've lost. >> california's unemployment is still much higher at 12.5%. economists believe brutal winter storms maybe partly to blame for the small number of new jobs created last month nationwide. speaking of jobs, abc 7 is cosponsoring another free job fair next tuesday. it will be on concord february 8th at center concor

. >> i'm jenelle wang live in the news room. a people's revolt brewing in iran. trying to oust itssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

jenelle wang is live on the news room with more on this. >> the oakland unified district posted thister warning of possible teacher layoffs this fall. the superintendent said it was significant. state laws districts to warn employees they might not be laid off until march 15th. the strict plans to notify principals and managers that they might be reassigned to a news position in the fall. even though governor jerry brown did not cut k-12 funding, the schools are still struggling. oakland has made due because of high attrition rates but those factors no longer exist. districts across the state have already shortened the school year in an effort to save money. in a statement by oakland's superintendent tony smith said unfortunately cuts to education funding means we can no longer shield the classroom the way we would like. we must use the last resort of teacher layoff to meet financial obligations. other school districts across the statement are fissing serious budget problems. los angeles, the state's largest school district may have to lay off thousands of employees after releasing a

. >> i'm jenelle wang.nti-government demonstrations are heating up in iran, the latest country trying to oust its president and the u.s. is reacting without any hesitation. >> also what has three heads, six arms and is vanishing today? the local sculpture that's about to return home. >> and the return of the defending >> welcome back. 5:47. a look at your california forecast. anywhere north of interstate 80 today will get rain and temperatures low to mid-50s eureka, chico and big sur. mid-50s fresno. should be try, about 63 degrees. tahoe whereby noon should be snowing rather heavily. that's where the winter storm warning begins. noon to 4::00. >> prodemocracy protests continue in iran. death threats against opposition leaders. secretary of state hillary clinton is set to make a key foreign policy speech on the region and on the new media being used in some of these protests. jenelle wang live in the news room with more. >> yes, she'll deliver that speech in just under four hours from now in an except relea

i'm jenelle wang. thanks for joining us. this morning egypt's prime minister appeared on state tv suggesting that the crisis might be settling down over there. he appeared confident a resolution with anti-government protestors might be reached without the middle east removal of president mubarak. thousands of protestors continue to gather. they met with egypt's prime minister yesterday to discuss ways to ease mubarak out of office but all is not calm. an explosion today at an egyptian gas facility is blamed on sabotage. the blast sent up a massive fireball at a massive gas terminal on the sinai peninsula. the fire was controlled by closing down valves on the gas line which feeds into israel. plus a missing google executive has become a spokesman. he joined the initially protest in cairo. his family believes he's in the custody of government officials. lillian kim has more. >> in cairo streets, peaceful protestors took back control. tens of thousands of egyptians gathered to pray. >> it will not be resolved through violence o

jenelle wang is live in the news room with more, including some of the big names who will be breaking bread with the president. jeannette? >> just to let you know, i am not one of those people this is is a quick trip for president obama. he will fly in to attend an intimate dinner at a private location with bay area hi-tech executives. the white house has not released the official guest list yet but there are reports they include mark zuckerberg and google's ceo eric schmidt. these are many of the same executives that met with president obama in washington back in december to discuss job creation. this trip will also be focusing on jobs as well as innovation and education. it's not a fund-raising trip like many of his previous visits. has last visit in october included a $30,000 a head political fund-raiser at the home of google's vice president. this is the president's 8th official visit to california. he will spend the night in the bay area and tonight heads to intel's main headquarters outside of portland, oregon. he will discuss the company's educational programs which focuses on

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> thank you very much.s 4:45 now. >> coming up, the president's about-face over same sex marriage and what it could mean for california couples waiting to wed. >> t minus nine hours and counting, the "discovery"'s final mission in space. >> and traditional or daring. almost as big of the buzz at the academy awards are >>welcome back. check out the temperatures across the country. great falls, 8 degrees below zero. portland 35. guess where our weather's coming from tomorrow? yeah, from up there. dallas and new orleans, 75 and 78. the yellow is back in -- on the airport delays. that's where severe weather is possible so flight delayings dallas, houston, little rock, oklahoma city and memphis and even st. louis. if anything develops, our flight tracker will have it, abc7news.com. >> 4:48 now. the decision by president obama to stop defending the constitutionality of a federal law that bans recognition of a gay marriage is being praised by a gay rights activist in the bay area and vilified by those on the other

word just out of cairo. >> jenelle. >> a lot of information out of cairo, kristen.ching word an egyptian prosecutor has issued a travel ban and frozen the bank accounts of several former ministers of the mubarak government. also receiving word that his son will not run in september when mubarak steps down. it's intense in that main square. continue to throw rocks and fire bombs at each other. appears both sides are going to be there for the long haul. here's a live picture of the square where most of the chaos has been going on the past 24 hours. people still milling around. they're bringing in supplies like bread, water and blankets into the square which is basically the sign they're going to be there for the long haul. the egyptian military presence seems to have intensified. soldiers now unloading into the square. leaders around the world are urging them to step in and help. it has been a bloody 24 hours. molotov cocktails rain down on demonstrators. just in the last days five people killed and 850 injured. the chaos unfolded yesterday when seemingly out of nowhe

live in the news room, jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> it's 4:50 now.an francisco is expected to approve a $14 million contract to buy $27 million pounds of bleach to flush through the city sewers. the bleach will be injected in the sewer system to prevent the pipes from smelling worse during the summer. the bleach will be neutralized before it entteres the bay. it transports it through the pipelines and the bleach is not needed in the winter. >> yesterday i was driving several kids on a field trip. we were going like 30 mph on the freeway. white knuckles all the way. >> when your wipers can't catch up to the downpour, mike. >> you say it, boom, he appears. >> i was checking the radar, checking out tahoe. lots to talk about because it is a holiday weekend, it is a friday. here's a look at the dry emeryville camera looking back to san francisco. show you where it is raining. still in the higher elevations around the santa clara valley. live 7 hd showing you the rain and santa cruz mountains and a lot of that is falling as snow down to about 2,000 feet th

live in the news room, jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> thank you very much. it's 6:16 now. take a look at this. it's a hummingbird but it may some day fly spy missions for the military. it's a pocket-size drone dubbed the nanohummingbird because of the way it flaps its wings. it can go upside down, forward, backwards, sideways. it carries its own energy source. it can even be directed inside buildings and doorways as you see here. the hummingbird was developed by the pentagon by aero environment. they've been working on it until 2006. that's something. >> turn this over to mike right away. a lot to talk about. >> a lot of snow in the sierra and a lot more coming. more through tomorrow morning when the winter storm warning expires tahoe around 4:00 in the morning. you can see the drier air behind it has pushed through parts of the bay. a beautiful reflection off the bay from ballmer peak this morning. where we've seen openings, fog developing in the north bay valleys and also the east bay valleys and the valleys within the east bay hills, also. looking at a live doppler 7 hd

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> jenelle, thank you very much. it's 5:32.ealth officials are trying to determine if a deadly bacteria killed a popular teacher in palo alto. in the meantime some of his students are taking powerful antibiotics just in case. amy is live in palo alto to tell us more. >> eric, they're dealing with the possibility of getting infected and also grieving over the loss of a popular teacher. 43-year-old george flap was at school on friday with a cold. saturday he had a high fever. sunday he died. the health department sent a letter home with the parents informing them about menajacoccal diseases. officials decided to err on the side of overpreparing just in case. >> if someone gets ill with this infection they can become so sick and so scary for people around. it's really important to get the information out to the families so that they understand. >> students say his death just doesn't even seem real. it was so sudden, and this teacher is very popular here at hoover elementary. officials say it's unlikely the students will come down

jenelle wang is live in the news room. it all comes down to money. >> yes, it does. it may have to use its last resort, a teacher layoff. in a statement, tony smith says california's budget prices makes them have to make tough choices. through all this we will do our best to mitigate the impact on children. state law requires stool districts to warn employees they might be laid off by march 15th. unknown how many letters will be mailed but the oakland superintendent says it's significant. the district plans to notify principals and managers they might be reassigned to a new position in the fall. even though jerry brown did not cut funding in the state budget, the schools are still struggling. oakland made due because of one-time funds but those factors no longer exist. districts across the state have already shortened the school year. los angeles, the state's largest school district, is facing serious money troubles. that districts says it may have to lay off thousands of employees after releasing a doomsday budget. we're sewer to see more layoff notices around the b

jenelle wang, abc 7 news. >> thanks a lot.ens of thousands of workers may be getting bleak news. huge impact on fares and train schedule. amy hollyfield is live in san mateo. >> kristen, it looks like these drastic changes are going to be inevitable. today there will be a major step taken towards the changes. there's going to be a meeting where caltrain officials will likely declare a fiscal emergency. that technically gives officials the power to authorize a fare increase and service cuts without doing an environmental review. caltrain officials say the situation is bad. they're facing a $30 million deficit. they may have to cut all of their trains except the once that run during commute hours. caltrain did just cut their midday service and raise their fares last month, but it's time do it again and it's going to be more severe this time. that meeting is scheduled for 10:00 this morning. live in san mateo, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> amy, thank you for the live report. it's 5:34. the state public utilities commission has o

. >> i'm jenelle wang live in the news room. a u.s.sman has stepped down after this shirtless photo of him made it on to the internet. the craigslist scandal, the apology and the resignation next. >> i'm terry mcsweeney live in oakland where police are investigating the rape of a boy by two other boys inside a boys and girls club. the story coming up in just a few minutes. >> and good news. the departure -- i should say the arrival delays into atlanta are over but departure delays are developing around washington. we have specific flight numbers with our flight tracker at abc7news.com. >> and we have pictures of a fatal accident in san francisco. this still has arguella and gearry blocked. gearry the major intersection, of course. we have a new hot spot developing in palo alto,3q lysol knows you work hard every day to help keep your family healthy, especially during cold and flu season. that's why we make lysol disinfectant spray. it is approved to kill more germs than any other brand, even h1n1. and it works on hard and soft surfaces

jenelle, you have the latest?> we just got word president obama is going to take questions from reporters around noon today to talk about the unrest in egypt. meanwhile anti-government protestors are vowing to stage the largest and most intense demonstrations today. let's take a live picture from cairo. you can see tens of thousands of people gathering in the square. they plan to fill every square and mosque in the city today demanding egyptian president hosni mubarak step down immediately after three years in power. the military continues to conduct checkpoints to make sure people are unarmed and the egyptian vice president promised the army would not turn on those protestors. they are in talks with officials to have president murabark and turn over the government headed by the vice president. the white house said egypt should be focusing on preparing for free and fair elections later this year. but speaking exclusive to abc, president mubarak plans to stay in power until the elections in september. >> he did say

jenelle is following that story and joins us with the latest. >> the cause is still unknown but the marin county health department is looking at four possibilities. number one, could it be food poisoning? was the food tainted by a food handler or just some gastrointestinal virus. kids were sent home last night or picked up by parents. 250 students were at walk you are career ranch for a five-day camp. it consisted of fifth and sixth grade classes. it included 20 high school students acting like camp counselors. a handful of kids came down with flu-like symptoms. by midnight 65 students and teachers were ill. >> they got in touch with the medical staff at general hospital. they advised that what would be best, an abundance of caution, is that the students that were on-site return home where they could be, you know, managed and cared for by parents. >> ironically the school says the county just came yesterday to do its annual food safety inspection and the results came out clean. the school also frequently checks its water and those levels were normal. the outdoor school is part of the mari

. >> i'm jenelle wang live in the news room.he oakland school district has exhausted its bag of tricks. the cut that may be looming for the cash-strapped district in a live report coming up. >> just driving into work could be exhausted for you now because of the rain and the winds. i'm kristen sze. >> i'm eric thomas. we have a commuter alert. a key connector in san francisco is closed due to an accident that happened after midnight. amy hollyfield is live near the 280 extension in san francisco to tell us more about what happened and how long it may be closed off. amy? >> eric, if you're headed into the city, i have a time-saving tip on northbound 101. do not go on to the 280. they'll let you but if you want to go northbound you're going get detoured and have to go south which will cause you time. they've been up there since about midnights and things are going to be up there a few more house. here's what you're dealing with. a metal sign fell. it was dangling over the roadway and then a struck hit it last night. then some of t

. >> all right, jenelle.ounselors are at walnut creek creek after the tragic accident of two teens. terry mcsweeney joins us with more. >> yeah, the two boys drowned on saturday trying to raft down a rain-swollen walnut creek. 17-year-old gavin was supposed to be on campus now playing in the school jazz band as part of the health fair. the music is gone as is the legendary sense of humor of matthew miller. both gone for ever and the students aren't newer how to deal with that. this morning we couldn't find a student that didn't have a story about gavin or matthew. >> he was a really good artist and all his contests in art were really cool. he was very talented. >> michael caine took math with powell. >> you would ask him anything or anything like that. >> both of these young men had a similar reaction to the passing of their friends. >> just disbelief. like what it took -- excuse me, but two kids have died. i don't quite understand it at first. >> we were coming from tahoe. we didn't know what to do. we just

>> jenelle, thank you very much.illary clinton is warning but placing curbs on internet fremont and elsewhere. restricting internet use will not hold back reforming recently seen. the state department launched twitter accounts in arabic last week and plans to create feeds into russia, china and india. >> open societies give rise to the most lasting progress; that the rule of law is the firmest foundation for justice and peace, and innovations thrive where ideas of all kinds are aired and explored. >> in iran, members of parliament today called for the execution of two prominent leaders. the demands after thousands defied government warnings and protested in treats of tehran again today. >> a proposal for berkeley to invite former quantanamo bay terror suspect to resettle in the city is during a heated debate tonight in a city council meeting. live in berkeley with a proposal and warning given to council members. >> supporters want to emphasize this would not cost the city any money. volunteers would help these people