kimberly tere, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. >>> thousands of california teachers are about to get an unwelcomed message in the mail. today is the deadline for california school district to send out thousands of pink slips. california teachers association says nearly 20,000 layoff notices went out statewide. >>> flames, dramatic pictures tonight of a firefighter being pulled from a burning apartment building. he is recovering after falling through the roof. you see flames coming from the firefighter's arm. the fire forced 17 people out of their homes. the captain says the firefighter fell through the ventilation hole that was cut in the roof and was surround by flames in the attic. >> had the mask on. he didn't inhale the smoke and fire. but he suffered a significant burn to his hand. we're thinking about him right now. >> the fireman fell in through it. we saw his hand coming out help me out. i was like help him. >> the firefighter is being treated at a hospital for second and third degree burns. the officials say the fire was likely sparked by a candle. >>> a south bay high schoo

kimberly tere joins us live in san francisco. now hundreds of cases could be tossed out? >> reporter: hundreds of cases, thousands of them are being reviewed right now. several dui attorneys told me that once the story broke, they started getting phone calls from clients wondering how this might effect them. the district attorney, the public defender, and also private attorneys again pouring through old records trying to figure out exactly how many people this might impact. >> we have known for a long time, the machines used in dui evaluations are not always properly maintained. >> reporter: private dui attorneys say they're not surprise when district attorney announced san francisco police were not following proper protocol in checking the accuracy of their mobile breathalyzers. >> it's a huge problem. i mean, we're dealing with constitutional rights. >> reporter: public defenders say the problem could date as far back as 2001. now hundreds, perhaps thousands of dui cases that relied on the evidence taken by these preliminary alcohol screening devices are being called in

kimberly tere, nbc bay area news. >> hold onto that hat. thank you. from wind to snow t snow level dropped to 1400 feet in the foothills of the sierra. brian hickey has a look for us. >> reporter: colfax, grass valley and alto, awoke to a blanket of snow. >> winter finally. >> it's very nice. we need the snow and the water. >> get supplies, take the dogs out for snow. >> reporter: drivers were required to put chains on in colfax. good for business at eateries. >> a lot of the cars stop here, they need to put on chains. we're a small motel, 18 rooms. it fills up quickly. >> reporter: anxious to take advantage of another powder day, snowboarders off to an early start. >> going to squaw valley. fresh, fresh, fresh. it's going to be great. >> reporter: for those look for fun. snow means you don't have to drive far. >> we're dying to take the kids up here. my daughter really first time she'll remember being up here. we wanted to get pictures and build some snow men and maybe have a snowball fight. you know, play in the snow. >> just so you know chains are

kimberly tere has more on that for us. >> reporter: hello, diane.other nature did not hold back today as many of us traded our umbrellas for heavy jackets and coats and hats. high winds swept across the bay area blowing things around, keeping small boats close to shore and causing drivers to use extra caution on bridges. in pacifica, the surf was up with waves reaching as high as 17 feet. at san francisco's ocean beach, the wind-blown sand was drifting over the wall, piling on the sidewalk and parking lot. enough blew across the street that crews came out to shovel it off the road. >> you are braving the wind today. >> i don't know if i am braving. it is winning. it is freezing outside. >> winds are too crazy and the sand is flying up as well. ready to head back. >> reporter: while some were hoping for more beach-like temperatures instead of flipping out, others made the most out of the weather. >> a great environment. everybody stays in the gym. >> reporter: christopher took advantage of the nearly empty beach to get his workout in. the chicago n

kim berr kimberly tere is in with more. >> reporter: 40% of the total delegates are up for grabs to secure the nomination. ten states are voting but one in particular, mitt romney and rick santorum are both eyeing, ohio. it's a swing state that could tilt the race dramatically. riding high off of his latest victory in washington state caucuses, mitt romney was stumping across the south hammering home his business background as he tries to take a decisive lead in the republican race. >> the economy is what i do. it is what i know. it is what i have done. >> reporter: are rick santorum is battling to regain momentum. >> this is a game of survival. we are doing as well as anybody in all of these races. >> reporter: there are ten contests on supertuesday bethe symbolic prize is ohio. where the latest nbc news poll shows romney gaining on santorum. their matchup a statistical dead heat. because snoumpl failed to require the required paperwork he may not be eligible for more than a quarter of the delegates. >> it is a tough state because the fact with the money disadvantage, but we have a great

that's where we find kimberly tere tonight. >> reporter: hello, diane.orrow morning the valley transportation agency is set to get the first federal installment of funds for this project. it is lakely the money will go directly to work. the the bart extension to the south bay is a long time coming for many. >> it was on the voting ballot for 2008. i voted for it but haven't heard anything from it. so -- >> work on the ten-mile extension from fremont to north san jose is already underway. crews are starting to do some demolition and reconstruction in an area leading to the warm springs station site. ground breaking in north san jose is scheduled for april 12th. >> the residents voted twice for the, to make this happen. put their faith in it so it should be, as we see here we should be getting a return on their investment. >> reporter: the federal transit administration pledged $900 million to the project with the first $100 million check to be cut monday morning. the state and local sales tax revenues will make up the rest of the $2.3 billion project. >>

"today in the bay's" kimberly tere has the details on robert bales and shows how the community is reactingat happened. >> neighbors of 30-year-old staff sergeant robert bales knew him as a doting family man. >> he was always happy, happy guy, full of life. i really wouldn't expect it. >> reporter: accused of killing 16 afghans, mostly women and children, bales is now at ft. leavenworth, the army's maximum security prison in kansas. bales enlisted in the army after 9/11. the decorated soldier served through tours in iraq. his attorney says bales never expected a fourth deployment, this time to afghanistan. >> he was told he would not be going back to the middle east. he was training to be a military recruiter and then overnight he was told he was going back. >> reporter: bales attorney also implied he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. >> and he saw people killed literally standing right next to him, and there was an incident right before these allegations where one of his fellow soldiers was mortally wounded. >> though i believe he should be held accountable for his actions

nbc bay area's kimberly tere is live in san francisco with more on the details. what is the plan moving forward now? >> reporter: the plan is to go through all of the records and find out just how many cases could be impacted here, whether it's hundreds or thousands. it was actually a chp audit that detected the problem that could result in dui cases. dating as far back as 2001, to be thrown out. san francisco's public defender and district attorney are scrutinizing dui cases, in which the police department used preliminary alcohol screening, or pas devices, also known as breathalyzers. >> i am somewhat flabbergasted by the fact that these trained officers were not doing what they were supposed to do, in terms of testing these machines. >> it put a stop to the use of this particular equipment, and we're now conducting an investigation to try to determine how many cases would be impacted by the use of this particular equipment. >> reporter: according to manufacturer recommendations, and police guidelines, accuracy tests of the devices must be conducted every ten d

kimberly tere is at san jose city hall where the signing is planned for tomorrow morning. >> you are right. this is a long time coming, especially for those who worked very hard on getting bart extended to the south bay. that $100 million installment the vta receives tomorrow will be put to work almost immediately to dig the stretch. the feds pledged $800 million to help complete the extension. the total cost of the project $2.3 billion. the rest of the money will come from taxpayers and some will be provided by the state. >> overall the entire project, we're paying about 79% locally, which so they like that and i think they will look at that model as a model for the country. >> the congressman says the project will likely create 2700 new jobs. work on the extension is already underway. crews are rebuilding kado road on the border. service so tan san jose will likely be reopened in 2017. live in san jose, kimberlier the ary, nbc bay area news. >> the fight to bring bart to the south bay has been in the works for 60 years give or take. they decided to build expressways instead of inve

kimberly tere is at city hall where a signing ceremony is planned for tomorrow morning. >> reporter: the first installment of $100 million will be put to work almost immediately. in fact, some work is already underway in fremont for the 10-mile maria bartirobar bart e jose. all told it will cost $2.3 billion to build. the rest of the money will be from the taxpayers with some help from the state. this project is a long coming for those who have worked for the last decade to make it happen. >> overall the entire project, we're about 79% locally. so they like that. i think they will look at our model as a model for the country. >> the congressman says it will create thousand of new jobs. the ground breaking set for next month and the complete date is 2017. live in san jose, nbc bay area news. >>> the weekend started off sunny but ended cool around much of the bay area today. and now much-needed rain is in the forecast for the weekend. we will check in with rob to let us know which parts of the bay area might get hit the hardest. what's up? >> we are tracking what was a weak system that