ktvu's tom vacar found place wheres the vaccine is running low but first john sasaki joins us with a look at why some of the victims were young, healthy adults. >> reporter: a growing list of deaths across the bay area and it is still early in the flu season. >> awful. terrible. i have been in bed for four days. >> reporter: she is one of residents who come down with the flu. >> six flu related cases that are hospitalized. >> the death confirmed here today was that of a woman in her 4th 40s. >> there is a 200% increase in the number of flu tests that are positive as compared to at the same time in 2012. it is an earlier peak. >> reporter: it could mean it may be a longer or severe flu season. she was 23 years old and healthy. >> most people don't seek care with flu-like illnesses till late. >> reporter: he is an er doctor where he says they have seen a lot of flu like systems but not only confirmed flu cases. this could be a bad flu season. >> the problem is, if you have preexisting conditions the flu can put you over the edge. if you don't have the capacity to fight it off, that is

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> and looking out again, there's still no rain. >> nothing. probably longer than that, gasia. with the stable weather pattern, really not going to budge. another result, some warm temperatures out there we're talking about more records for today, january 16th. the numbers for san francisco, sfo and oakland in the upper 70s at 78, and the oakland airport, and gilroy in the upper 70s. in the clouds in the bay area, all this energy's shooting way up to our north. the dry weather pattern's here to stay, but with temperatures dropping off with the clear skies, temperatures dropping off quite a bit. right now, 41 degrees in fairfield, san francisco still one of the warmest spots, 64, and san jose in the upper 50s at 58 degrees. rainfall totals, we all know we need the rain and these numbers show that. these are the numbers since last july. look at the percents of averages. 11 to 23% and each day we don't get rainfall those percent of averages come down. temperatures as we showed you already dropping off toward the bay bridge and san francisco. we're

ktvu's tom vacar found out they are being used in the bay area. >> reporter: only a few u.s. banks ar issuing such -- are issuing such cards. the clipper system also uses embed chips. >> all of the personally identifiable information is stored on remote servers in a security location. not on the card. >> what do consumers want? >> beef up their security. >> reporter: that raises another question. >> why are we not taking advantage of it if we created it. >> reporter: visa international touted the fact that it was going to the new technologies but when we wanted to ask them about it today, their response, no comment. another san francisco based credit card giant wells fargo also said no thank you. he says it is because of an inconvenient truth. >> cost. it costs more money for that technology. when the public demands it, they will do it. >> reporter: the technology is being adopted to smart phones -- adapted to smartphones but again retailers must adapt the technology. tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> continuing coverage now otthe deadly flu -- of the deadly flu season. thre

ktvu tom vacar has more. >> reporter: targets sell 40 million gift cards a year. a relatively small number, 40,000, were sold within proper security code making them valueless when run through the cash register. for one target shopper we met along the creek today, adds more doubt about targets over all ability to handle noncash transactions. >> i definitely taking into consideration how i pay here. i had a target gift card. >> reporter: so what are the odds you might get a miscode target gift code? only about one in a thousand. that means that will be one out of a stack of these cards. fortunately for target it appears many customers are willing to forgive and forget for now. >> i shop here all the times. i never had any problems. >> i would continue shopping there. it's still a great store and great prices and good quality products. >> reporter: supporters say target could lose customers if there are anymore thefts or blunders. >> st a marketing concern. >> they certainly have a job to do in term of their pr. >> reporter: target issued a statement saying target w

ktvu's tom vacar has more on what steps officials are taking a protect fish and wildlife coming up at 5:30 p.m. you look at the rivers, the snow pack and it is not a good situation. over now to bill and we got a reprieve yesterday but not as much as we needed. >> not enough rain. the mountains got some snow. south lake tahoe they got 2 feet of snow. that is good news. that is better than a foot at echo summit. we will see more. i am going to show you this moisture here. that is going to swing through in the nexts 2 hours, 3 hours and that will bring us scattered showers. anything helps. none of it is a massive amount of rain. you can see it is kind of dwindling out. dying out in the lake tahoe- air, where they have light scattered showers. showers-- tahoe area. where they have light scattered showers. fog shouldn't be a big issue. 8:00 p.m. tonight. here comes the showers. swinging in. here we are 9:00 p.m., scattered showers san francisco. towards fremont. be prepared for that and then it clears out friday morning. might be wet on the roadways. this low-pressure system gives us a cha

reporting live, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> i'll be back right after the break. we'll talk about the record highs we had today and the potential for records tomorrow. >>> lost mountain lions, bewildered bears, are these drought conditions changing wildlife behavior in the bay area. >> a new ride to the airport. b.a.r.t. unveils its new vehicles for testing. what they'll mean for your trip to the airport and when they'll be ready to hit the rails. to those who've been denied ewelcome to covered california. now, you can no longer be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. enroll today at coveredca.com. >>> today we're looking at the b.a.r.t. airport connector. b.a.r.t. says when the system is open for passenger service, the trip will be cut down to nine minutes from the current 20 to 25 minutes. >> this guaranteed convenience and affordable plain connection is exactly what we in the east bay need to have for world class transportation and we in the east bay deserve it. >> the $484 million system is set to open this fall replacing the current shuttle bu

ktvu's tom vacar in oakland tonight with what he's learned, tom. >> reporter: well if the health care industry is indeed booming these lay offs seem odd indeed. >> we are running short of nurses every night. the moral is very, very bad right now. >> reporter: regardless of the nurses protests, sutter health says to right itself financially it will eliminate 358 full and part time positions. caroline kemprod, i do not know how many people will leave. we are retraining employees to fill critical vacancies. nurses are angry. >> less staff means more work for everyone. to say nothing of the fact that the threat of lay off or the threat of having to work way more hours than we're used to working under very stressful conditions with not only less nurses but less staff. >> to have the lay offs or to say you're going to have lay offs is outrageous. because you can't even staff with the nurses you have to provide adequate care now. >> reporter: the hospital says more changes are coming in the next few years. >> i think the message there are pretty clear. this is a multi year process don't get

tom vacar shows us how the loss has impacted her family. >> say hello to two month old jones. his mother is wondering why her employment check, $280 a week, stopped without notice. jones says since she was laid off this summer she's continuously looked for jobs but like so many others hasn't been able to find one even though she has an associate's degree in medical record keepg. for almost six months, no problems with the unemployment checks. >> then all of a sudden it just stopped. like, i know it was the holidays, but i was expecting it to come on that 24th. >> husband lee has a job and can't make up for the money she was making before. >> i want to be able to help my husband with the bills and, you know, and to help my son with getting food and my husband has had to go into savings. that's running out, too, because it's going to rent. >> that made the hol days rough. no christmas tree, no christmas lights, no nothing. >> i couldn't get him anything. i couldn't buy my husband anything for christmas. it was just, like, what do i do. >> jones doesn't know she's caught up in th

ktvu's tom vacar is on a b.a.r.t. ain and joins us live to break down the numbers and the likelihood the fair hikes are not the last. tom? >> reporter: here is the deal. it is a tiny increase per ride but it adds up very, very quickly. b.a.r.t. fairs up 5.2% with the average one way trip cosing an additional 19 cents. for commuters, that is $93 a year. one way to save, buy a high value discount tickets. $48s worth of ride. riders we met say ouch! >> if you are thinking about gas prices going up it might not be that much. i don't know. i consider driving over taking b.a.r.t. >> i would ask for it would go later at night. >> reporter: if you have a clipper hard you will hardly notice because they are already programmed into the computers but you will have to put more money on this more often. muni is also hiking fairs. single ride fairs are unchanged. but short term discount passes will pay a dollar more. one day pass is $15. 3 day 23. 7 day 29. even muni riders expressed concern. >> ridiculous. every year. rates go up a

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> there has been a surge in whooping cause. reports show cases jumped from a thousand in 2012 to 1700 last year. almost 83% were children. no one died but 99 went to the hospital. marine county was the hardest hit with 173 cass last year. out-- cases last year. >>> new rules for recycling are making it tough for people who collect bottles and cans. a $200 load is now just worth $50. because they are just paying the minimum amount. the rules are meant to help the fund erase a $100 million a year deficit. >>> police arrested two suspects accuseds of stealing wall -- accused of stealing wallimates, they took 140 -- walnuts. they took 140 pounds. grewers formed a task force to work with -- growurs formed a task force to work with is -- growers formed a task force to work with law enforcement. >> reporter: 49% of african american men were arrested by the age of 23. 24% of latino men and 38% of caucasian men. the study based the numbers on personal surveys. >>> forget the snow suits, looks like bathing suit weather, how ski resorts a

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> let's talk about our weather because when was it, early decembere got our last rain. >> it is been a while. got more records today. second straight day. look at the numbers. temperatures, 68 degrees, 73 at the san francisco airport. that is an all time record for the month of january for san francisco international airport. oakland airport, a record as well. mountain view, santa cruz, broke a record. it will continue. these are the highs from today. you can roll them into tomorrow because they will be similar tomorrow. not just us with the red flag warnings. southern california, san bernardino, red flag warnings through tomorrow for the winds, dry conditions. the entire state having issues with dry, windy conditions. they could be an issue for firefighters. tonight, clear. chilly over night. like last night. upper 20s in santa rosa. outside tonight beautiful. good air quality with these winds. no spare the air day. you can see a long day. here is what is going on. long range -- or the pattern that has been with us for a long time. everything going

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> more details now. as of october of last year there were 4.2 million people on snap in california. that means that about 1-9 people in california use food stamps. >>> deep dutes the food stamp program -- cuts to the food stamp program has been averted. the ledgeilation keeps food stamps in tact and -- legislation keeps food stamps in tact. they crafted the deal, a vote could take place in the house of representatives wednesday. >>> the southeast is bracing for a blast that is causing big problems in the mid-west. look at these conditions in minnesota. many school districts canceled classes today. chicago, milwaukee and north dakota are experiencing bitter cold conditions. from dallas, to north carolina. >>> our weather now. i was outside yesterday and thinking this is one of the strangers wepters i could -- winders i could recall. >> you see the clouds, you notice it, fog at the coast, changing the dynamics. you can feel it returning to a wet weather pattern. there is good news in the forecast. to the n

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the testing of bolts on the eastern span of the bay bridge continues. new video taken today shows the bolts are being stretched by forces exceeding 500-tons. they are also in bags of salt water to speed up corrosion. they say so far every bolt its test. testing will continue. >>> life in prison with the possibility of patrol. that was the sentence today for a teenager accused in a string of crimes. max suede was convicted of attempted murder in october for firing shots at a 18-year-old man in 2012. prosecutors said who was 17 at the time was jealous of the other teen. the shooting investigation led police to uncover a stolen lamborghini that belonged to a celebrity chef that he stole. he was sentenced to life in prison and 21 years and 4 months for attempted murder. he could be released in 18 years. >>> new at 5:00 p.m. police have released surveillance video of a hit and run. they want your help in finding the suspect. a camera on a passing bus recorded a dark suv accelerating into a man while he was crossing the street. mese say the driver got out --

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> the mayors of san francisco and green bay made wager on the game.een bay wins mayor ed lee will have to visit a local school pairing a packers hat. if the 49ers win green bay's mayor wearing a 49ers cap. the 49ers take on the packers sunday in their first playoff match-up. watch the game here at 1:00 p.m., kickoff at 1:30 p.m. and road trip to a championship, we will look that 49ers regular season and preview sunday's match-up. catch the show tomorrow night after the cotton bowl and on sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. after mornings on 2. >>> now at 6:00 p.m. caught on tape. the moment someone lit a chinese consulate in san francisco on fire. the surveillance video shows the flames but it may not help catch the culprit. >> a skull found near a park, whoever put it there wanted it found. >> how much money are you pilling to pay to smooth out bay area roads? a question you may have to answer. >> complete bay area news coverage starts right now, this is ktvu channel 2 newst at 6:00 p.m -- complete bay area news coverage starts right now, this is ktvu chann

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >> here now are key dates in the project.d funding in october 2001. at the time caltrans estimated the cost $1.3 billion. construction began january 2002. by then the estimate was 2.6 billion. the bridge opened on labor day weekend. the cost ballooned to $6.4 billion. >>> the company accused of ordering the wrong bolts for the bridge is disputing information just released by lawmakers. the company issued a statement saying it did not provide the bolts for the project. that is despite a report commissioned that claims the company supplied 250,000 bolts that were the wrong size. that same company also provided bolts for the new bay bridge that developed cracks after being tightened down. >>> crews working on the b.a.r.t. extension broke a natural gas line around 8:30 a.m. this morning in san jose. people say they could smell the gas. the fire department evacuated two homes and issued a shelter in place order. >> it is always dangerous. needs a spark or a reason to ignite. as far as moving folks out, it was for precaution. >> cr

ktvu's tom vacar reports a new scam is revictimizing customers. >> reporter: folks hasn't hardeningst cards -- heard the 40 million credit cards and debt cards hacked, 70 mill were now. >> over a third of the united states population. >> crazy to think somebody was able to get into and find out bout this information. >> reporter: two shoppers were not among the first 40 million. >> i didn't thought about that today when i came in. now i am scared. >> everything is out there. i would imagine just about anybody is susceptible. that makes me uncomfortable. >> reporter: two other customers had been compromised. >> i received a new credit card. >> it is not the fault of honest people and honest businesses. this is unfortunately a criminal. >> reporter: e-mail and phone scams are already suffering where they are trying to revictimize the victims. >> reporter: what about target's offering of free credit monitoring. >> a thin layer that will let you know after it is too late. >> reporter: we got to figure out one thing, was this unique to target or are other retailers just as vulnerable. tom

ktvu's tom vacar reports a new scam is revictimizing customers. >> reporter: folks hasn't hardenings 40 million credit cards and debt cards -- heard the 40 million credit cards and debt cards hacked, 70 mill were now. >> over a third of the united states population. >> crazy to think somebody was able to get into and find out bout this information. >> reporter: two shoppers were not among the first 40 million. >> i didn't thought about that today when i came in. now i am scared. >> everything is out there. i would imagine just about anybody is susceptible. that makes me uncomfortable. >> reporter: two other customers had been compromised. >> i received a new credit card. >> it is not the fault of honest people and honest businesses. this is unfortunately a criminal. >> reporter: e-mail and phone scams are already suffering where they are trying to revictimize the victims. >> reporter: what about target's offering of free credit monitoring. >> a thin layer that will let you know after it is too late. >> reporter: we got to figure out one thing, was this unique to target or are other r

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> in washington the president's new healthcare plan is under attack, coming up the one provision. >>> janet yellen is the first woman to head the federal reserve. she served as president of the bank of san francisco and advice chair of the board of governors. the vote was 56-26 in favor. >>> jackpots are enticing more people to play the lottery in california. a man split 648 mega millions jackpot. schools are benefiting here, $1.3 billion went to california education. >>> san jose's ban on containers is free to move forward. a petition to put the issue on the ballot failed by 3,000 votes. the city counsel passed the measure in august but it faced the challenge. it outlows the containers in -- out laws the containers. >>> warning about water for one bay area city. the reservoir level raising freeze of drought and the changes officials were hoping for. >> concerns over radiation levels at beaches. why officials now are telling residents not to worry. >> first, mystery solve, who is behind this crop circle that appeared south of the bay area. check it ou

reporting live, tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> continuing coverage now. boy another spring like day across the bay just beautiful out there. everyone though we are smack dab right in the middle of of winter. >> you will remember we had warmer than normal temperatures yesterday. we go to bill martin, and you say we're looking at another warm day. >> we have temperatures out there 68 in concord. 70 in santa rosa. the national weather service has issued a fire weather watch. i'll put it in here. if we peak in here we can give you the specifics on it. you'll see the fire weather watch begins on wednesday and it lasts through friday. and that fire weather watch will mainly impact the hills of the north bay. so a lot going on here. it's real dry. real warm and it's going to continue that way for the next several days. when we come back i will get specific with the records we see today and what we could see down the road here. >> thank you, bill. >>> so just how bad is this year's drought? it could be the driest year in 500 years. lin ingram is a climate expert.

tom vacar, ktvu news. >>> the final hours of 2013 are chilly ones. we have temperatures in the low 40s in livermore 40 degrees walnut creek. napa checking in at 33. and san francisco where we have folks out waiting for the fireworks 50 degrees right now and sinking back into the upper 40s in the last hour or so. as we roll into the evening hours and by tomorrow morning bottoming out into the 30s. napa below freezing at 30. santa rosa you're checking in right around 30 degrees. 40 for hayward and widespread mid- to upper 30s. redwood city, mountain view into san jose. for your afternoon the first day of 20 is 14 temperatures a few degrees warmer than what we had today. 65 in oakland, 65 in san francisco, and we'll ring in the new year with another spare the air alert. i'll have a look at the air quality for your area >>> we have new information about what caused the death of a man inside a vacant store in daly city. the san mateo coroner's office says price fell after falling two stories from the ceiling rafters. it's unknown why price was at the site

tom vacar, ktvu news. >>> the final hours of 2013 are chilly ones. we have temperatures in the low 40s in livermore 40 degrees walnut creek. napa checking in at 33. and san francisco where we have folks out waiting for the fireworks 50 degrees right now and sinking back into the upper 40s in the last hour or so. as we roll into the evening hours and by tomorrow morning bottoming out into the 30s. napa below freezing at 30. santa rosa you're checking in right around 30 degrees. 40 for hayward and widespread mid- to upper 30s. redwood city, mountain view into san jose. for your afternoon the first day of 20 is 14 temperatures a few degrees warmer than what we had today. 65 in oakland, 65 in san francisco, and we'll ring in the new year with another spare the air alert. i'll have a look at the air quality for your area coming up. >>> 2013's hottest stocks. >>> two bay area cities seeing an improvement in crime. what the city credits for their success. %g >>> we have new information about what caused the death of a man inside a vacant store in daly city.

tom vacar channel 2 news. >>> the chp is enlisting the help from seniors.he program save the agency hundreds and thousands of dollars and the push to expand it. >>> we take you to the breaking news. the fire burning in the delta across the river from antioch. at ikea, we don't just design furniture. we design good mornings. little experiments. big ideas. brighter ways. and better tomorrows you can take home today. imagine if everyday was just a little bit better for everyone. >>> authorities in new mexico are identifying a gunman who shot and injured two classmates this morning as a 12-year-old boy. this happened inside the gym in roswell. missay a teacher talked the boy into putting down his shotgun and he was taken into custody. the victims are an 11-year-old boy in critical boy and a 12-year-old girl in serious condition. school officials are cancelling classes for tomorrow but they say counselors will be on hand for students and parents. authorities say the shooter's motives remain unclear. >>> a retired police captain accused of a deadly shooting insid

ktvu's tom vacar was at the hearing today and reports on caltrans response to charges of bullying and coercion. >> reporter: caltrans chief says in no uncertain terms the new bay bridge is safe and will last 150 years. >> i have no evidence or no reason to believe that there was niko any -- any coercion or anything like that. >> reporter: why? because this is how some contractors testified today about threats of bullying and beratement and concerns they raised regarding the concretes, bolts and the signature tower itself. >> to expect defect in new construction is very unusual. the first shipment came over with lots of cracks. >> i was specifically directed not to look in areas that i knew there were cracks. >> quality assurance was abysmal because there's no way those rods should have been accepted without further testing. >> reporter: caltrans says there is more about professional differences than power politics, but is it? >> the very bolts we're talking about, there was a nonconformance report written with a rental for rejection. >> since there is potential fraud involved and brid

tom vacar is on the bridge. he will have a report at 5:00 and 6:00.re live on the old eastern span of the bay bridge, brian flores, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> less than an hour ago, the federal reserve announced it will cut its monthly bond purchases by an additional $10 billion to $65 billion because of the strengthening u.s. economy. as a result, the markets are tumbling because investors fear the reduced sim list will mean higher interest rates and that could hurt emerging markets. taking a live look at the big board, the dow is down 210 points. that's 1.25%. the nasdaq also down about the same percentage down 50 points and the s&p is down 20. >>> the mayor of oakland brms a victim of crime in her -- the mayor of oakland becomes a victim of her crime in own community. >>> it's a landmark law that's supposed to make our food safe and prevent food-borne illnesses. why it could face another delay. [uncle]this is hopscotch,okay? uncle go one,two,one,two,one two,one. [niece]okay! [uncle]okay? [niece]one,two three,four,five,six,seven,eight! [uncle laughing

ktvu's tom vacar found place wheres the vaccine is running low but first john sasaki joins us with ahy some of the victims were young, healthy adults. >> reporter: a growing list of

tom vacar spent the day in the valley to look at what could soon become damage control. >> reporter:ld workers brushed a protective coating to prevent fungus if and when the rain returns. wine country is already at a serious water deficit. >> 2013 was the dryest year on record. dryest winter on record. >> reporter: for those vineyards that have underground ago way informations to feed them it will be a relatively normal season. for those that depend on rain water, well the troubles are already starting to mount big time. >> the presence of groundwater does not make up for the lack of rainfall. >> reporter: water shortages may force vineyards to irrigate their most valuable grape varieties and let's others which they are on the vine. bud chutes sprout at the end of february have already begun many locations. to save water vines will be pruned to produce fewer grapes and their umbrellas the leaves over them will also be thinned good if we continue to see drought conditions in 2014 we will see a small crop. >> reporter: pests are expected to be a bigger problem. you'll see very few must

tom vacar, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> more controversy over utah adecision to allow -- utah's decision governor jerry brown is considering running for re- election. but first he has to overcome challenges as his first -- as his current terms leads into the new year. >>> a beautiful shot there of blue skies over the oakland estuary. oakland at this hour, 56 degrees. 59 degrees in alameda. >>> let's recap our top stories -- a 5-year-old boy is home safe after walking out of an oakland rec center. family members say a staff member sent the child home yesterday afternoon without supervision. police searched the area for several hours before findth boy safe at a cousin's house. >>> just about four nowrs, the 49ers will take on the green bay packers in freezing temperatures in wisconsin. there is a chance this could be the coldest nfl game ever. kickoff slated for 1:40. you can watch it right here on ktvu. we would love to see your 49er pride. send us your photos or post them on our facebook page. here is a photo sent into our newsroom that caught up with joe fonzi out at lambeau field. >>>