. >>> i'm jodi hernandez in san francisco, where thousands have lined up to celebrate the year of the snake. we'll take you live along the parade route, coming up. >>> and it looks dry along the parade route. but chilly. 51 degrees right now. breezy outside at some early-morning light rain fell across the bay area. seven-day forecast looks unusually dry. you will be surprised about where temperatures are headed. a look at the forecast, when we come right back. mom, i invited justin over for lunch. good. no, not good. he's a vegetarian and he's going to be here in 20 minutes! [ mom ] don't stress. we can figure this out. ♪ [ male announcer ] get the speed to make a great first impression. call today to get u-verse high speed internet for as little as $14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. this is delicious. ♪ [ male announcer ] save the day in an instant. at&t. ♪ >>> thousands of people are lined up on the streets of san francisco right now. >> they are there to enjoy the annual chinese new year's parade, and nbc bay area jodi hernandez is right in the middle of

reporting live in san francisco, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> jodi, enjoy.ll see more tonight at 11:00. >>> still to come at 6:00, a sunny day in the south bay. a live look over san jose tonight. you might be surprised to see what kind of temperatures are in the forecast. >>> the latest on daytona beach. nascar drivers and fans are recovering from a terrifying final lap on the track today. >>> we're following a developing story at the daytona international speedway. on the eve of the big race, daytona 500, a ten-car crash sent chunks of debris into the grandstands, seriously injuring two people. >> gaping hole in the fence and crews are busy making repairs to the track and the fence. nbc's francis coe has the latest. >> reporter: the final turn of the nation series 300. something sent the number 32 car driven by kyle larsen air bonn, careening into the catch bin designed to protect the crowd. debris from the car, including the tires and engine, flew into the grandstand. emergency medical personnel rushes to the stands, attending to multiple spectators. >> we

jodi hernandez is live at treasure island with more on this proposal. >> reporter: transit experts say the eastern span of the bay bridge will most certainly become a globally recognized icon of the bay area and its opening deserves a huge celebration. but the party they're proposing, the price of the party they're proposing is making some squeamish. >> we've got the finish line in sight. >> reporter: and big plans are in place to celebrate the completion of the eastern span of the bay bridge. the bay area toll thoerauthorit proposing spending $5.6 million in toll money on a grand opening party that will give tens of thousands of people the chance to walk across the bridge on labor day weekend before it opens to traffic. >> public funds are expected to be used for transportation and public safety. i think of it as the four bs. it's buses, barricades, bathrooms and bodies. >> reporter: the toll authority is teaming up with a nonprofit group to make the celebration even more spectacular. the bay bridge alliance is raising private funds to pay for a cycling event, a fun run, fireworks and

jodi hernandez is live in castro valley. jodi, that area has been hit really hard, too. >> reporter: it really has, jessica. i'm standing at the entrance of highway 238 and 580 in castro valley. now these metering light message signs should be lit up at this hour but, as you can see, they are dark. it's all because of copper thieves. those copper crooks are causing commuters some major driving delays. you're looking at a scene that's become all too common in the bay area. crews working to replace and repair copper wiring along bay area highways. caltrans and its workers can barely keep up. >> we get reports almost every day of another sign or another group of lights that isn't working. >> reporter: and that's causing major traffic headaches adding to the gridlock throughout the bay area as electronic message signs and metering lights go dark. >> i know you have any kind of significa signal lights down or metering lights or even street lights, overhead lights are down. all of that's going to have a negle negative impact on tr

reporting live in san francisco, i'm jodie hernandez. >> thank you, jodie. a new milestone for google and its investors. shares of the mountainview search company found their way above the $800 billion mark for the first time. the stock price came as a rumor circulated that the company may soon open retail stores like apple. >> apple, meanwhile, making news for being the victim of a hack attack. the company confirmed that some of its internal systems were infected by malicious software. >> tonight, at 6:00, scott budman looks into the hacking and fighting back to protect your privacy. >> still here ahead at 5:00. there's one thing the thief didn't count on. >> and it's a surgery that tens of thousands of women choose each year. but the innovation may not be worth the cost. plus -- >> they are truly the underdog. and i have always had a thing for the underdog in my life. and they desperately need help. >> from the corporate track to the bunny trail. one woman's mission to save thousands of animals and find them a new home. >>> and good afternoon, we're tracki

reporting live, i'm jodi hernandez. nbc bay area news. >> thanks, jodi t city of san jose said it's working on a plan to fix bad roads but taxpayers will are likely foot the bill. nearly quarter of the road ways are in poor condition and but 2020 every road will be in that category. city leaders are proposing a series of taxes to increase the funding for road work. it includes a quarter or half cent tax increase and a bond increase that will cost the average home owner $100 a year. >>> the cliff hanging road way, has a section being renamed in honor of the late congressman. the two new mile long tunnels have safety features such as remote cameras and carbon monoxide sensors. >> here is good news, those rising gas prices may not be rising anymore. a drop in wholesale prices might stop the spike in gas prices at the pump. nationwide, we are paying an average of $.20 a gat on more than we did two weeks ago. a lot different than in the bay area, on average, people are spending an extra $30 a month due to rising prices. >>> t

jodi hernandez is live in san francisco with more on the st y story. jodi? >> reporter: the coach and his attorney believe he was made the scapegoat for a shocking incident of hazing, some incidents that the coach was responsible for bringing to light. instead of getting a pat on the back, the coach got a kick out the door and now the fired coach is firing back. >> i was angry. i was shocked. i was -- i felt like this is unbelievable. >> reporter: ousted head football coach chris sarbone turning into action. after they fired him from st. patrick's st. vincent high school over a hazing incident that he brought to the school's attenti attention. >> you show integrity, you show character, you show compassion, you try to end something bad that's happening on your campus, and you try to protect children and you get fired. it doesn't make any sense. >> reporter: cerbone says jayvee players confided in him that they had been victims of hazing by members of the varsity team. cerb 0 one says the allegations were shocking and he reported them to the principal and chil

our own jodi hernandez and her success witnessed that fireball at their home in fairfield and told us about it. >> we were driving on interstate westbound in fairfield and all of a sudden we saw this bright light falling from the sky. it was like a bright white streak and it kind of ended in a ball, and i was just like, i couldn't get the words out fast enough, it was like look, look, look, victor! he saw, one of our sons saw, it of spectacular. i had been covering a story on meteors and asteroids all day and i couldn't believe i was actually seeing one just a few hours later. >> people quickly turned to our facebook and twitter feeds to tell us what they saw. one viewer in san jose said "it was a bright green when it first appeared then it went to a bright yellow. it was awesome!" and also another viewer in san jose said "it looked like the one that i saw back in october except it was a little smaller, it was greenish in color. everyone in the parking lot stopped and looked at it." astronomers say last night's meteor was likely smaller than the one in october that landed in the bay a

jodi hernandez haz the new details. she joins us live this evening. jodi? >> reporter: raj, i'll tell you, a huge sense of relief here at the peddler bike shop. this is where jamie neal has worked for several years and where her co-workers have been rallying to find the cyclist and her boyfriend. today they got just the update they had hoped for. >> when i heard the news, i was just elated and a giant weight lifted off my shoulders. >> reporter: that's the reaction of jamie neal's co-workers that they have been reportedly located. a call was received from the u.s. embassy in peru telling her the couple had been spotted in a remote village they were passing through while on a riverboat cruise through the amazon to ecuador. >> the u.s. embassy just called me about ten minutes ago. they said that the police report ed to them that garrett called them over the phone and gave him his passport number and confirmed he and my sister are in good health and that they're fine. >> reporter: despite the news, both cyclists' families say they won't feel at ease until they

jodi hernandez is live in dublin. jodi, so emotional for him especially for his mom. >> reporter: very emotional, jessica. the mother and son hugged and sobbed in the courtroom as the judge ordered ross' release this morning, then late this afternoon ronald ross walked out of the jail feeling the freedom of sunshine on his shoulders at last. that's how ronald ross says it felt to walk out of jail a free man after spending nearly seven years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. ross has been released. how does freedom feel? >> oh, it feels great. man, it feels great. i mean, it's a blessing. it's a blessing. i was blessed by god. >> reporter: he was wrongfully convicted of attempted murder of a shooting after two witnesses misidentified him, only to recant later. it took lawyers from the san francisco law firm and from the northernc california innocence project four years to win hiz freedom. >> in june 2011 we finally got a break in the case which was a declaration from one of the witnesses saying that he lied at t

reporting live i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thanks, jodi. the meteorite sent patrolmen ors through the ground like an earthquake. those shakes were picked up, and it was indicating that the blast was on par with a magnitude 2.7 earthquake. the fact that it was recorded at all is unusual. they say few meteor explosions have been recorded. coming up on the nightly news, we will have the coverage of the meteor impact coming up at 5:30. >> we have no details on a story we brought you wednesday. the santa clara man accused of making death threats against state senator leland yee is arrested and what was shocking what was found in his house. what did they find? >> reporter: they found evidence related to the threat, but they did not thankfully find any more explosives at the home. did he not enter a plea, he faces ten felonies, he is accused of making a death threat gently land yee regarding the gun control efforts. the 45-year-old man shuffled into the courtroom wearing ankle chains and handcuffs. he appeared very timid. he faces a long list of c

i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you very much. >>> new details tonight in the case of three people killed on a las vegas strip this week. one of them an oakland rapper. police are naming amare harris as the gunman. his arrest history includes kidnapping, robbery and sexual assault. police released this picture of a black range rover at an apartment complex. harris opened fire from the suv as he and kenny cherry drove down the boulevard. after cherry was shot, his car crashed into a taxi that exploded killing the driver and passenger. >>> police in oakland are looking for a group of teenagers who shot at an ac transit bus near 55th avenue and international boulevard. one of four teenagers who had just gotten off the bus opened fire. about a half dozen rounds hit the bus, leaving two passengers with minor cuts. >>> a successful buyback gun program. kimberly terry is live with more on the story. >> reporter: terry, the organizers of the vent had to turn people away. people who wanted to turn in their guns for cash. the cash that was given out today was provided entirely b

reporting live in oakland, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. san jose police want the public's help in identifying is two suspects photographed during a south bay bank robbery located in the shopping complex on santa teresa boulevard robbed back in november. here are the surveillance photos it of the man who demanded money from a teller. mid 20s, medium height and weight. he's wearing a black and red atlanta falcons hat and 3/4 length hooded jacket. police say had he someone with him just before the robbery. that associate as they're referring to him was wearing blake the with a white symbol on the front. police urge anyone with information to contact the department's robbery unit. >>> new at 6:00 tonight, no right at stake. that's the ruling of a federal judge who today dismissed oakland's attempt to protect a medical marijuana clinic from seizure by the fed. they targeted harborside health center as part of a crack down on pot clinics. the city of oakland sued claiming the government waited too throng take action and the statute of limitation

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez joins us in fairfield tonight where police just wrapped up a news conference late this afternoon. jodi? >> reporter: raj, police are releasing few details on what they've uncovered. they say they are making progress in their investigation. meanwhile, the girl's family is speaking out tonight for the first time. >> right now our family is still in a state of shock. we hope everyone understands our desire for privacy during this very painful time. >> reporter: that's the message from the family of 13-year-old janelle conway, a girl whose body was found. >> we need to thank everyone for the outpouring of support at the memorial site. we are grateful for the love and support. >> reporter: police are still being very tightlipped about their investigation. they've uncovered is yosurveill images of the seventh grader walking along this street with her pink hello kitty backpack on her shoulder. but police won't talk about other evidence they have found. >> we can guarantee you that when the time and place comes, we will be talking more about the specifics and circumst

jodi hernandez joins us live. it has to be so unnerving for the teachers and parents. >> reporter: it's very frightening, jessica. fair field police are keeping very tightlipped about their investigation. they still have not released the girl's identity but the killing has rattled everyone here in fair field. there's a makeshift memorial here at the park. this is where people have been stopping by to express their grief but the girl's classmates and friends are really taking it hard. >> she was the sweetest girl ever. she would 0 just make everyone's day. she would always be smiling no matter what she had going on in her life. she would put on a smile and make everyone smile. >> reporter: that's how alice is a watson described her close friend. a seventh grader found unclothed and dead at fair field's park early friday morning. >> i think it's just terrible because she was only 13.his everyone at that age, they should still have, like, a long life ahead of them. they should have a good life. >> reporter: police sp

reporting live in dublin, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >>> nice to see the family back together, yoedy, thank you. could this be a game changer in the fight against breast cancer, it's being called a smart bomb, it's a new weapon to battle the disease. marianne, a lot of people curious about it. very curious, and some of the clinical trials for this new drug, which the fda proapproved this morning were done here. the chief oncologist said it's a major break through. ja janise is always on the go. she wondered if she'd be able to watch her children enjoy high school after doctors told her she had an aggressive form of breast cancer. she enrolled in a trial. and received a new drug. she experienced no hair loss, no nausea and she had no surgery. what she did have was results. >> through the first week, by the end of the first week. i could physically feel the tumor starting to shrink. 23 patients from the hospital participated in clinical trials, developed in south san francisco. it helped women live six months longer than those that were using a traditional treatment. the chief o

reporting live, jodi hernandez. nbc bay area news. >> new details now about the man that was killed on saturday when the speed boat he was in collided with a fe are rry. >> reporter: the coast guard tells us it was a oregon man who died late saturday night after the boat he was in collided with a ferry that was headed to san francisco, the accident happened at 4:30 afternoon in the raccoon straight. the man who died has been identified as 68-year-old harry holzhauer from oregon, his linkedin account showed he is a realtor that specialized in litigation support. it's a devastating loss, he was a charming man and well respected in his field. the owner of the boat the only other person aboard is inity hospital, investigators were able to talk to him. >> he was, he was able to tell us, basically what happened. he was not the one driving the boat. mr. holzhauer who passed away was the driver. the friend was able to tell us what he can remember from the incident. >> reporter: the coast guard will only identify the boat's

jodi hernandez has been following the story since it first broke. jodi, it's hard to see the fphoo and video. >> reporter: police did identify that girl. they also released a chilling image taken of her just minutes before she was last seen alive. they are hoping that photograph will help lead to the person responsible. you are looking at the very last picture of a 13-year-old girl taken just minutes before she was last seen. this photo captured at an intersection five miles from the park where her naked body was discovered on friday shows her carrying a pink backpack and talking on her cell phone. >> i think it's just terrible and she didn't deserve it because she was only 13. >> alyssa watkins can hardly believe one of her closest friends suffered such a tere

we begin with jody hernandez live on treasure island with the latest on the investigation? >> jessica, we're still learning new details about what took place underneath the new eastern span of the bay bridge. you can see a portion of the 160-foot red crane is still out here on the bay tonight. it is secured to a barge. now, that crane came down this afternoon along with a massive piece of scaffolding. for those who witnessed it, it was jolting. >> not much happens on a daily basis. it's like watching grass grow. things happen slowly except for today. >> reporter: that's an understatement. mr.a manager roger lad wig was startled when he heard a loud grinding noise from underneath the bridge. when he looked up, he saw a red crane toppled over and a huge piece of scaffolding falling down. >> next thing i know, one of the cranes was already down and the scaffolding was perched up there. it was kind of suspended and collapsed onto the barge itself. >> reporter: a spokesperson for the bay bridge project says twos cranes were working in tandem to lower a piece of scaffolding when

"today in the bay's" jodi hernandez and her husband witnessed the fireball in fairfield and spoke withs via facetime. >> we were driving on interstate westbound in fairfield and all of a sudden we saw this bright light falling from the sky. it was like a bright white streak and it kind of ended in a ball, and i was just like, i couldn't get the words out fast enough, it was like look, look, look, victor! he saw, one of our sons saw, it of spectacular. i had been covering a story on meteors and asteroids all day and i couldn't believe i was actually seeing one just a few hours later. >> it is so cool. people quickly turned to our facebook and twitter feeds to tell us what they saw. one viewer in san jose said "it was a bright green when it first appeared then it went to a bright yellow. it was awesome!" another said "it looked just like the one i saw back in october." astronomers say last night's meteor was likely smaller than the one in october that landed in the bay area. that meteor caused a sonic boom as it fell and broke apart over the north bay. last night's fireball happened at t

reporting live in fair field i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >>> a bay area lawmaker gets his way california gun owners could be required to carry liability insurance to cover the cost of any damage done by their guns. gomez says it would encourage gun owners to take firearm safety classes and other precautions to lower insurance rates. he says it's similar to car insurance. opponents say the bill would simply punish law abiding citizens rather than criminals. >>> the high court moved across town to the university of san francisco. it was part ceremony and part business. the court heard arguments in a h historic case involving pot clubs. nbc bay area's monte francis joins us. this will impact a lot of people and businesses. >> reporter: it turns out the question is not easily answered. since california legalized medical marijuana, about 250 cities across the state have banned pot dispensaries. at usf today the seven justices of the state's top court heard arguments from one of those cities, riverside, which banned them and was sued as a result. the justices appeared skeptical

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez has been closely monitoring the developments and joins thus evening with the new details. jodi? >> reporter: raj, jamie neal's co-workers here at the bike shop have been on pins and needles waiting for word on what may have happened to their co-worker and her boyfriend. tonight there's a very real sense that authorities may be getting closer to tracking the couple down. >> we have seized video, are security video, at the bus station. they were in line and got on the base. >> reporter: this couple is missing in peru. a peruvian news station shows surveillance pictures of them reportedly taking the bus to lima on january 26th. >> that's really the last visual contact we have from them, that video. >> reporter: the u.s. embassy of peru has told them the pair may have then boarded a boat. >> the embase embassy believes they got on the boat for an a . amazon cruise. >> reporter: the family has set up a war room where they're mapping out all they know. >> probably the biggest thing we have access to garrett's bank records and starting january 25th all of his ban

our jodi hernandez has more from the space and science center in oakland. >> reporter: you're looking at video taken by nasa showing a 150-foot asteroid as seen from australia this morning coming closer to earth than any rock its size. >> it sounded like a safeway, a supermarket, or an olympic sized swimming pool in size. the mass is 130,000 metric tons, which is equivalent to 60,000 suvs, so, you know, it's a big piece of rock. >> reporter: but the much anticipated asteroid is getting overshadowed by a smaller meteor that actually made its way to earth. these incredible images show the ten ton meteor floating over russia smashing windows and injuring hundreds. but experts say the cosmic rock completely unrelated to the da-14 asteroid. >> it's actually been a double whammy day. a lot of interesting things going on. but it is just a coincidence. it's not marking the beginning of a rain of asteroids coming at us. >> i'm thankful for that. >> reporter: all the cosmic activity catching the attention of glenn rivera who recently had a close encounter with a meteor ite when one hit his neig

deck of the eastern span is expected to resume tomorrow. .reporting live on treasure island, i'm jodi hernandez nbc bay area news. >> thank you. so who's responsible? more details now about the company that operates the crane and other vendors on this project. nbc bay area's investigative unit is digging into the history of these companies and we found revealing information about their past. reporter stephen stock joins us from our newsroom. a lot of talk about the contractors and the safety records. what have you found out? >> raj, the crane as you heard from jodi is operated through a joint operations is agreement between two of the largest construction companies in the country, a group called american bridge company based out of pennsylvania and an even larger corporation called floor enterprises based outside dallas, texas. according to data from the department of labor, oh shas inspectors investigated four complaints against fleur and american blij two safety complaints lodged against them as well as one accident, an accident that involved the death of a worker who apparently fell off a br