they are out on a ledge at uc berkeley.ey're sporters and campus officials are watching very carefully -- their supporters and campus officials are watching very carefully. we have seen some things change. just about 20 minutes ago when we were showing you a live picture at uc berkeley we saw the protesters unfurl a red banner. you can barely see the corner of it. if we can show you a larger look of what's happening. there are many dozens of people on the ground in frontof wheeler, they say they support the protesters who are on the ledge. let's go to john sasaki. tell us more about what the protesters are demanding. >> reporter: let me point up to the roof there, you can see feet hanging off the ledge. that's 60 feet from the air. that shows you how close they are to the ledge and how dangerous this effort is. hundreds of people here out just watching and supporting these students who are up there protesting. what they are protesting is all the budget cuts and the according fee hikes and the cuts in basic classes and the i

back to you guys. >> thank you. >>> protests get heated over at uc-berkeley. 17 people have been arrested accused of refusing to leave a campus building. anne makovec joins us live from berkeley where three of those protestors are due in court this morning. she joins us now live. good morning, anne. >> reporter: that's right, good morning. three of those protestors actually had to spend the night in jail. the alameda county jail, after being arrested here at uc- berkeley. 17 people total arrested all charged with trespassing and we haven't been able to exactly pinpoint the three that are still in jail, what exactly they were charged with but i was told about an hour ago by a security guard at wheeler hall that there was a lock on the door that was broken at some point during the protests. so that could have something to do with it. taking a look at the scene from last night where the protests really were mainly peaceful it all started as part of a national day of action. protesting the increasing cost of a college education. hundreds of people gathered outside wheeler hall here at bening

live uc-berkeley, jonathan blum, kron 4 news. >>pam: limning service cuts with station closing looming serving cucosts dozens of commuters pleaded to maintain that the current level of service. the board is required to have a to clear of the state of emergency. >> the underlying region, the structural region is that caltrain has a dedicated source of funding. the only transit agency that does not have a dedicated four of our revenue. source of revenue. gamow's the idea on the table for putting this dedicated revenue with a regional tax from the voters. commuters will find out exactly what that could be. if (music) >> we are drying out this evening. today, tomorrow, nothing short on our radar. nothing showing up on our radar. whit 60 degrees in oakland. 61 and some of a of redwood city, and currently low 60s. as we take to overnight it looks like we are going to cool into the 40's. dry weather tomorrow. saturday. dry on saturday during the day, however on a saturday night, it is going to be a little bit wet. we will be right back.

uc-berkeley students ending up in cuffs after a rally over budget cuts is heated.campus, where 1 people were arrested last night. anne, good morning. >> reporter: that's right. three of them waking up in jail this morning and headed for court. things are very calm this morning outside of wheeler hall on the campus of uc-berkeley but a very different story last night. let's take a look at these pictures. now, most of the demonstrations, i do have to point out, were peaceful. this is all part of a national day of action protesting the increasing cost of a college education. hundreds gathered at wheeler hall and then they moved inside the building around 9:30 last night officers warning them that the building was going to be closing at 10 p.m. at 10. , the officers came in and a-- at 10 p.m., the officers came in and arrested the 17 people who refused to leave. overall the demonstrations were described as nonviolent but impassed. >> hell no, we're not taking the budget cuts whoever they come from because they are not going to give us any future in california unless we

at the uc campus in berkeley. uc police investigated a 70 year-old student was using this pathway and notice the issue was being followed. investigators said that this and she got over the bridge she noticed a man exposing himself. she turned and tried to get a way the man grabbed her. custer, in a properly she screamed. he touched her-and a properly. the suspect is black, early 20s, fan begin build. with a red baseball cap and a black jacket. and a medium-build. uc-berkeley is going to beef up patrols, and also speak with local authorities on if this physical description is meeting any outstanding crime. >>pam: 41 year-old quarter holbrook of livermore was arrested in howl for homicide. the victim remains on known programs of to the hospital and that hospital does not have a trauma ward so the victim was transferred by ambulance to castro valley. he died of his step wounds. police in the altercation started on first street near the 580 on ramp. they traveled down and ended up on hold for st. the suspect even.. and

hundreds of people gathering outside of wheeler hall here at uc-berkeley. and then they moved inside wheeler hall at about 9:30 last night sheriff's officers and campus police warned them that the building was going to be closing in a half hour and then at 10 p.m., they came in and arrested the 17 people who refused to leave. overall, though, the demonstrations were described as nonviolent but impassioned. >> the governor is trying to cut away the future of public education for millions of students in california. >> reporter: and there were protests going on yesterday as well in san francisco other states. locally, san francisco state and san jose state university also participated and there was a set of issues down at san jose state, as well. apparently, some protestors were blocking the faculty parking lot during the day of action. we haven't heard of any arrests going on there. again, three protestors from uc- berkeley expected to be in court this morning. sydnie. >> but all quiet now. >> reporter: yes. >> thank you very much, anne makovec at uc-berkeley

. >>> and we have the latest on that situation going on in uc berkeley. you can see a lot of police. are they getting ready to move in? we're following the story, we'll have the latest for you in just a few minutes. atst fwa.ean ougog t bk. wi cseuidesi yr arho, u stnaa cte,hise a de. ougog t bk. wi cke sp rwd yr arho, d some over the top comfort couldn't hurt. and our perfect dream factory's been built. i'm feeling sleepy already. nighty night. >>> there continue to be new developments right now on the uc berkeley campus where a number of protesters have chained themselves to a ledge on wheeler hall in the fourth floor of wheeler hall. jana katsuyama is live on the scene now with more of what's going on and where police are moving in, jana -- >> reporter: just in the past five or ten minutes things have changed dramatically. i'm going to step out of the way. those police officers we had shown you early in the hour, those emeryville police officers have moved in just to block part of wheeler hall. you can see all of the students have been moved over on to

>>pam: back live, a growing demonstrations the campus of uc-berkeley.um is live with the latest. jonathan? >>reporter: pam, one of these protesters the chancellor of the university has been compromising. there has been something put on the table. and indicating that there could be a settlement. they are not very happy. below, on the steps of where all the police and the city of berkeley are maintaining a perimeter. protesters are sitting down. encouraging police to arrest them. this is a very small fourth floor ledge those protesters are negotiating with officials trying to demand to get them down. they are chanting. even making posters, " in rhetoric. with full riot gear. kron 4 news will return in one moment. >>pam: our live coverage of uc-berkeley. nearly 1000 protesters have gathered. several have gathered all the fourth floor ledge of wheeler hall protesting the price of rising public education. this protest has been going on for several hours index was started last night. negotiations currently under way between staff. catherine has information on

two physicists from uc berkeley told the senators that the u.s. remains committed to nuclear power and will learn from the crisis in japan. >>> one lawmaker is calling for a seismic study. pg&e will renew its license even though it does not expire for 12 years. sam blakely holds a doctorate in earthquake census is a new study is crucial since the usgs has identified a previously unknown fault line half a mile from the diablo canon plant. >> hawaiian pharmacies and health food stores are selling out of iodide because they can protect the thyroid gland for a radioactive dye died. >>> freezing temperatures and snow are hampering efforts in japan. the hope of finding more survivors is diminishing. in sendai forecasters called for a high of 40 degrees during the day and temperatures below freezing overnight. coming up in 11 minutes, jana katsuyama will tell us how the weather is impacting mountain relief efforts in tokyo. >>> the japanese prices had derailed the two-year bull run temperately. markets nosedive and back again today. the nasdaq fell 50 po

uc-berkeley researchers detecting fallout from the japanese reactors. good evening on this wednesday. thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. jessica is off. we begin with developing news. those reports about radiation in the food and water supply are no longer limited to japan. it's now in our own backyard. researchers at uc-berkeley announcing their discovery this evening. let's bring in nbc bay area's cheryl hurd who joins us with late-breaking details. first, what's tainteded? is there any type of warning at this stage? >> reporter: well, we're talking about tap water and milk. and there are no warnings tonight. but the trace levels of radiation found in tap water and milk are very, very low. but trace levels have been found in 14 states including spokane, washington. but for scientists' point of view, this is big news. scientists here at uc-berkeley have made a new discovery. >> we bought milk from our neighborhood store here. and we started to measure it. and as of last night, we see small amounts of iodine even in our milk. >> reporter: sounds sca

we'll keep a close eye on the situation there at uc berkeley. >> last night a lot of students, close to 20 students were detained. looks like another long night in berkeley right now. >>> we move on to another interesting experiment now. adults go to work for 8 to 10 hours a day. what about kids? a 10-hour school day. they're trying it in marin county. >> reporter: it's 3:00 at martin luther king jr. middle school in sausalito. it's a time when most school days are ending, but for this school's 45 students the next phase of the day is just beginning. >> could i have you in a line, please. >> reporter: this week the school switched to a new program where staying after school is all part of the routine. students at the academy will now go to school ten hours a day four days a week with a fifth regular day. >> yes, it is a 10-hour school day, but if a 10-hour school day gets them to college, that's what we're going to do. >> reporter: instead of heading home at 3:00, they will head to the band class, or basketball or other academic classes. >> it shows if you extend the school day and pr

mostly from uc berkeley and other agencies. they are here facing off with protesters here on the steps and surrounding the -- front of wheeler hall. they are in support of the eight people on the ledge 60 feet off of the ground. and, they are here primarily protesting of what they are doing is arguing against the one r $1.4 billion in cuts coming to the uc system because of such dire straights in sacramento right now. the chancellor sent a message through one of his vice chancellors and he said that basically he supports the message of these students because he certainly does not want to see cuts to the higher education system in the state either. but he is as this is simply too dangerous. he wants thosey protesters to come back down. so far that is not happening. protesters have made demands. they want to meet face-to-face with him and these folks will support them as long as they can. it it got hairy here when the officers move inside. we saw students pepper spray in their eyes, they were washing that out t. has been recently

the uc-berkeley campus. they are tied to an antenna fourth floor of the wheeler halt. to protest budget cuts, and also of the students are criticizing last night's arrests of 17 other protesters. university police are on the the scene. will continue to fall this developing story. >>pam: the golden gate traffic. the first is that that fog! you cannot even see the towers. sec. and north, south is moving fine. sec fothick fog.... live from the kron 4 news station, this is the kron 4 news >>pam: 4:30 investigators are piecing together a puzzle amanda and managed to escape from the alameda county jail. 21 year-old also known as ramirez was being processed into the facility after attending a court date. hot a theft charge. somehow, he was able to get through six security doors.

coming up a tense situation at uc-berkeley. we will tell you what happened to those protesters overnight. alive look outside. kron fours yoli says it looks good but there's a chance it can back up. we will be right back. [ male announcer ] hey michelle, whatcha doin'? i'm serving delicious athenos hummus to my friends. i've got -- [ male announcer ] that's great. let's see what yiayia thinks! you dress like a prostitute. did she just call me a pros-- [ male announcer ] noooo, yiayia would never do -- prostitute. [ male announcer ] never mind that, michelle. at least yiayia approves of you serving athenos hummus. mmmmmm! because only athenos is made the greek way, with 100% olive oil. athenos. maybe the only thing approved by yiayia. >> mark: coming up of 5:00 a.m. and emotional scene as the protesters chained themselves on the uc-berkeley building. >> darya: caltrans finished there werweek-long work on the bridge this morning. >> mark: all eyes are on the unemployment numbers what economists are saying coming up. >> james: 5:00

christin ayers is live over at uc-berkeley where protestors are rallying against those budget cuts. she joins us now live. christin. >> reporter: that's right, frank. they are rallying against what they call university greed. the uc regents are meeting today to discuss how to deal with $500 million in state funding cuts. these workers are here to tell university, don't balance the budget on our backs. these protests are happening at 10uc campuses today. custodians, service workers and even students say they have already seen massive layoffs, temporary positions have been slashed, and now their retirement age may be raised and pensions cut. one custodian told me it's too much to bear for the university's lowest paid workers. >> we already are living on the edge of our poverty. we already are in poverty. we are living like what we call it hanging by a thread because we are already struggling to make ends meet. and with this new cuts that they are presenting to make on us, like making us retire at age 65 with a physical work as a custodian, i don't know if i'm going to be able to do it.

recording live from uc berkeley, abc 7 news. >> okay thank you. tokyo stock exchange opened an hour after the third explosion. it sent a chill through the market to be sure. the average fell 6 percent in the first 2 hours. finished down another 12 percent. that is 17 percent loss in just two days. >>> well many bay area resident who were in japan during the earthquake now back home. some returned on schedule. others cut the vacation short. lillian is in the news room that part of the story tonight. lillian? >>reporter: dan, people we spoke to were eager to get back home. place nothing like they have ever felt and the experience they say was terrifying. about hugs lasted a bit longer and tears flowed more freely. passengers on flight from tokyo arrive in the bay area relieved and emotiona emotional. >> there was just so scary over there. >>reporter: they had just arrived in tokyo when the earthquake hit. the vacation was supposed to last 3 weeks. three days into the trip they decided to go home. they say they were scared something bad was going to

ktvu channel 2 reporter jade hernandez is over at uc berkeley again this morning.

. >>> new at 11:00 after days of waiting and testing at a uc berkeley lab, we know whether radiation from japan is in the rain falling right now across the bay area. cheryl hurd joins us from berkeley with the test results. cheryl. >> reporter: raj, nuclear engineers at uc berkeley are leading the way when it comes to research on radiation from japan, and tonight they say the test results are in. rain here in the bay area is raising concerns. some people worry japan's nuclear disaster will mean radiation levels here will raise to unhealthy levels. >> i have a feeling it will increase, but hopefully it's not too dangerous. >> reporter: measurements are in progress right now in a lab at uc berkeley's campus. >> as of last wednesday we star started to collect air samples. as of friday and saturday we collected rain. >> reporter: an around of clock analysis shows a definite increase in water and air. >> we should not be concerned. the amount of radiation from japan is extremely install and shouldn't cause any problem or concern for us and our health. >> buddy says the testing is importan

on the phone, peter hoseman for a uc-berkeley. what can you tell us? we are. about explosions. sends up all types of fearful radar what can you tell us is going on right now. >> caller: the explosion that we are seeing it is a hydrogen explosion. it is because steam, gas release. this release happens because the reduced pressure from the reactor. that is all. at this point, three explosions and 1, unit 3. and in the unit to no. 2. when the oxygen is warm their release at 1.5 around the plant. >>pam: when you speak about the release of radiation the thought of an explosion makes people concerned. is there reasonable concern and that even if it is that a minor level? >> a minor release after the first explosion would be comparable to about one 10th of somebody would get at the chest see tee at the doctor's office. we just ct- exam. and if you can measure that it is not that high at that point. with the two other explosions it could increase. again, just people to understand that the amount of radiation could be measured at this point nothing in california has to be concerned abou

. >>> scientists at uc-berkeley are detecting radioactive from japan and some of the tiny particles are falling here in the bay area. let's go to don knapp, he is at the bay area air quality management district in san francisco. they are monitoring our air. >> reporter: they are. just about all the experts we're hearing from are telling us that the radiation from japan is not likely to get to the united states, but if it does, it would be at levels too low to pose any health risks. however, the bay area air quality management district says its measurements show that radiation is not rising above background levels and that suggests perhaps that they are not seeing radiation from japan. the state of california health department is also saying that it would be unlikely that anything would get across the ocean that it would dissipate before it got here but if it got here it wouldn't pose a health risk. yesterday the surgeon general of the united states was here in the bay area at uc-berkeley and was asked about the safety concerns. >> we're exposed to radiation every day in our world, in ou

live at uc berkeley abc 7 news. >> all right thank you lillian. stay in touch. >> another patient in napa state hospital is accused of vicious attack. charged with sexually assaulting a psychiatric technician then attacking the nurse who came to her aid. vick lee is on this latest string of violent incident there. >>reporter: the attacks happened in the sebingts of the hospital which houses patients who have been committed by their family or through court ordered conservetorship. hospital workers told 7 news that it happened tuesday during the night shift. attack came when psych. tech. initial checked in on the patient. about the nurse agreed to talk about the incident. >> this one psychiatric technician about got assaulted and he tried to rape her. then another staff member, a nurse, came in to help her and she was assaulted. >>reporter: he says 30-year-old jesus bar seclude from other patient because he exhibited bad behavior. >> he's already was at risk for assault and stuff like that. he was dangerous to begin with. >>reporter: he and other so

. >> the epa's radiation monitors may be more high tech than what is on uc berkeley's roof tops but tell experts the same thick. this sits on tocht bay area air quality management district offices in san francisco western edition. >> words matter. >> u.s. surgeon general tried to calm fears. >> there is no reason to be afraid right now. they're not heading in our direction. >> scientists will get results this evening but they're not expected to say much. results will dprum air measure tomorrow, or following day, that is when and if they hit the west coast. >> thank you very much. and so far no planes entering the u.s. tested positive for raitdation at harmful levels. customs and border protection personnel at international airports are using detectors, passengers may not know they're being tested, in fact. and we're live with the story. >> cargo and mail is being checked and we're seeing it leaving japan and arriving here at sfo because of the risk. u.s. customs agents saying detectors are being used at airports, sfo has equipment to also determined the type of radiation. passengers may

by comparison, one uc-berkeley professor said, the amount of radiation you get this plume would be less than you would get on an airplane flight across the country. frank? >> even so, though, don, i know a lot of people, we had stories earlier this week that they were buying those, what, potassium iodide pills just to stock up and they are saying, really don't need to did that and if you take them and you don't need them, you could suffer other medical problems. so a lot of people wanting to get more and more information about this. >> reporter: i understand that. and i understand there's also a concern, everyone is a little bit confused and we are a little troubled by the fact that this information is so imprecise. we would like to have a good firm handle on it. we are not getting it yet. >> thank you, don knapp in san francisco. >>> pretty obvious by the look of don there he had the hood on there it is raining outside. lawrence, we better get used to it, huh? >> we have some rain out there rolling down the roads and there's pockets of some moderate to heavy amounts of rainfall showing

we're at the plaza at uc berkeley. this protest is just getting underway. a few dozen people as this crowd steadily continues to glow. the day of action is not just -- 20 20 -- to grow. sonoma state is kicking off an action and at st. james park a rally is getting underway. events are continuing today and they began early in the morning. >> no teacher layoffs! >> reporter: that was scene at oakland high this morning. before school started, teachers and students held signs to passing cars trying to raise awareness. >> the message is we've been cut to bone already. last year our music program was shut down at oakland high. this year they are threatening counseling. they are threatening, not replace our lie bay area bay areaian -- librarian. we're looking at higher class sizes. we can't run this. >> reporter: just about an hour ago, the oakland unified school district and several students at oakland high walked up-to- the-minute. >> if we just stay in class, it's not go -- it's not gonna mean anything. if we walk out, it will have -- it will be kind of like a

joining me on the fault is doctored to with the department of nuclear engineering at uc- berkeley. thank you for joining us, what you make of these continuing explosions and fires. it seems as though things are getting worse. >>caller: yes i think it is. >>pam: you agree that officials in japan did not have control the situation? >>caller: i believe they are still having control over the situation, but the tide is limited. >>pam: g feel a meltdown as possible now? >>caller: the meltdown possibility would be small. the reactors are being cool down right now. >>pam: you think things will take a turn for the better, they are getting a handle on things? >>caller: still we don't know, were not sure. this situation is still ongoing, they did not have contained as of yet. that part would be a concern. >>pam: there is great public concern in the united states and a white that somehow radiation particles could wind up here in our area. do think that's a possibility. >>pam: there is a possibility. the material could be transported across the pacific ocean. >>pam: meaning there could be a dan

nbc bay area's traci grant now joining us from berkeley. traci, a uc professor is back. >> reporter: well, professor duncan williams grew up in japan, but he's taught here at uc berkeley for years. now, he went to japan last week to arrange to bring back a japanese singer to the campus in order to give that person an award. he was supposed to come back on friday, but the earthquake changed everything. >> the train was jerking left and right and we -- everybody in the car thought we were about to derail. i think all of us were trying to keep calm, but some of the younger girls were screaming and -- >> reporter: it would have taken just about 15 more minutes for the superfast express train to get uc berkeley professor duncan williams to the tokyo airport, but that's when the quake hit. >> it stopped running and we were stuck on there, there were some people that were injured. >> reporter: some people were able to get information and view video from their computers and that's how they began to realize just how serious this earthquake was. >> communication

uc berkeley has 17 students studying in japan. they are not required to come home at this point. 35 students from stanford who are given the option to return are on their way back. >>> steady rain is falling in a wet week in the bay area. tara moriarty is on storm watch for us this morning. tara, where are you and what is it like? >> reporter: we're here in san francisco where it's been drizzling pretty steady since we arrived. forecasters say a lot of that heavier rain should be coming in around 6:00 this morning. one of the things you will notice on a day like today is that there is a lot of car spinouts. this is due to people driving too fast because of the rain. the chp is reminding you to drive the speed limit or lower. the weather created quite a few problems for folks in sonoma county. this was the scene late in the afternoon just north of the russian river. a landslide dumped mud and debris under the roadway and blocked both lanes for several hours. it's the only way for people who live in the mountains to get to gernville

. >>> 14 people have been charged for refuses to leave uc berkeley wheeler hall for a protest. they charged them with misdemeanor offenses for last wednesday's day of action budget protest. the nine students that chained themselves to a fourth floor ledge have not been charged yet. uc berkeley police say they still need to finish their report. >>> a former judge ruled baseball players can be charged to testify in the berry bonds case. the other ballplayers are expected to testify that bonds personal trainer greg anderson provided them with steroids. one of the biggest names mentioned jason giambie. >>> those opposed to gay marriage says obama's decision to no longer defend the gay marriage act should have no -- the motion was filed yesterday in response to a request made by same sex marriage supporters. they're asking the court to lift a temporary ban on same sex marriages while the court reviews the legality of proposition 8. >>> here is a story you only see here. new devices across san francisco are improving wireless reception. neighbors say they are nothing but an eyesore.

uc berkeley professor says cooling the reactor with sea water and bore inning asid is preventing such a catastrophe. the concern now will the solution work on the other failing reactors? >> these reactors were built in a different time so the designs are slightly different. some are significantly different. >> reporter: the professor tells us experts are worried about why reactors are failing now a day after the first explosion. he says the country is equipped to handle the current situation. but if all six of the reactors fail japan will need immediate international assistance. reporting live in berkeley, patty lee, ktvu, channel 2 news. >>> president obama is offering japan any assistance that the country might need to deal with the crisis at its nuclear reactors. mr. obama says he has instructed energy secretary stephen chu to provide any help that is necessary. president obama is an advocate of nuclear energy. his 2012 budget proposed $36 billion in loan guarantees to build nuclear power plants. >> almost two days after japan's massive quake, tonight a strong after-shock caused bu

reporting live on the campus of uc berkeley, kraig debro, ktvu channel 2 news. >>> thank you, kraig. >>> 7:07. speaking of flow, let's talk about traffic flow. hey, tara, what's happening in san francisco. >> crews are trying to push that stalled big rig off the roadway. if you take a look at our live camera, you can see the congestion has actually gotten worse off 80 westbound. this is just after you get off the bay bridge. crews are trying to get it to harrison street. we'll monitor the situation for you. >>> and we have another crash in livermore at the exact same location where a sig-alert was issued earlier this morning. we have an accident involving four scars. crews have just moved the vehicles to the shoulder -- shoulder. >>> finally, 101 in san jose, traffic on the right-hand side, northbound as you make your way to the airport, stop and go. >> here's steve. >>> a lot of fog out there. low clouds, breaks in the clouds. even some drizzle. some of that might be holding on for the next hour or so. upper 40s, low 50s of if you are just getting ready to leave, cloudy, mostly clou

experts at uc berkeley say they're discovering higher levels of radiation in part because of the rain we're seeing. they say it's like a sponge soaking up all the particles in the atmosphere and giving them more of an effect japan may be having on us. the first signs contamination is seeping into the food chain. radiation levels in spinach and milk are discovered near the tsunami-ravaged nuclear complex in japan. now more signs here that radiation is also making its way to the bay area. >> well, this is indicating that we have iodine 131 in our water. >> reporter: the professor is at uc berkeley, and discovered increased radiation levels in our rainwater late saturday afternoon. >> if you would indeed drink the rainwater now, you would ingest and drink in the -- this radioactivity. >> if you're walking down the street and happen to open your mouth and talk at the same time, a little rainwater came in your mouth -- >> that would not matter at all. >> reporter: they said the traces found pose no immediate health threat. in fact, he maintains the amount is so minuscule, that it's still 1

with more on this unfolding development, nbc bay area's elyce kirchner joins us live from uc berkeley. >> reporter: diane, they said even if a meltdown does occur at that power plant in japan, there still could be safety precautions in place that prevent any kigt can't radiation from being released into the environment. after an explosion at the fukushima nuclear power plant, now real fear of a meltdown. >> that's when we see large radioactivity release of material. >> reporter: christian at uc berkeley studies nuclear power plant safety. he says despite the blast destroying the exterior building, the reactor inside remains intact. >> the primary area of containment is the large structure here. >> reporter: so far, a complete meltdown hasn't happened. if it does, dangerous byproducts would be released into the environment causing serious health problems. >> i'm concerned because we could use more information to answer these questions, but we don't have it. >> reporter: talking to nbc bay area news from washington, d.c., marion of the nuclear energy institute saysbu it's too earlyo kno

. >> this professor is a nuclear engineer at uc-berkeley. he says the amount of radiation that makes it here will be small. >> there is about 5,000 mile distance between japan and here. and during that transportation radioactivity goes down. >> reporter: scientists are now monitoring radioactivity in the atmosphere. this is video from the lab's war room where scientists monitor for radiation following nuclear disasters. >> there are several ways to measure radio materials. for example, you have rainfall, you measure the radioactivity. >> he says he believes the trace amounts of radiation that might make it here from the fukushima plant would pose no danger. he believes people stocking up on iodine is an overreaction. we talked to the surgeon general in san jose today who disagrees with that. >> i do think that we cannot be overprepared. we learned that with 9/11, we learned that with katrina, we learned that this week with the tsunami. >> reporter: 12 hours after fleeing from the disaster in japan -- >> it's so dangerous. they can't protect

we do see some small amounts of iodine and 131 in our milk. >> reporter: sounds scary but uc berkeley nuclear engineer kyle vetter says we should not be alarmed. >> the amounts in the milk are still small. >> reporter: radiation is everywhere in our environment, but radiation from japan has traveled all the way here. >> scientists have it interesting study the pathway from japan to here and then the distribution and the dill lucien here in our environment. >> reporter: last week trace levels of radiation from the japanese plant showed up in rainwater and air samples here on campus. we learned then that you would have to drink 500 liters of it to have any impact on people. the average person drinks two light liters of water a day. when it comes to the new amounts of radiation found in our milk, you would have to drink it every day for a year and a half to see any side effects. >> and that's not much. there's not much knowledge and information out there about the time and amount in these processes. it is exciting for us to try to measure it and to understand it. >> reporter: scientists

. >>> a warning for uc berkeley students this morning about a man who exposed himself and assaulted a girl on campus. the incident happened wednesday night on the pathway in the grove. police say the man exposed himself to the girl and then be inappropriately before -- grabbed her and touched her inappropriately before running off. the suspect is described as in his early 20s, 5 feet 10, 156 pounds. he was wearing a red baseball cap, blue jeans and a puffy black jacket. >>> livermoore police say road rage may have led to a fatal stabbing. a a 41-year-old -- a 41-year- old was arrested yesterday on suspicion of murder. police say he got into a traffic related dispute with a man on a parking lot. the man was stabbed during the fight and drove himself to the hospital where he later died. >>> governor brown has asked for state lawmakers to hold off on a vote originally schedule for today on the special election to let voters decide on a tax extension proposal. the governor is asking for more time to negotiate with the five republican senators whose votes he needs to get the tax extension

the uc-berkeley in shared apartment air quality is is uc-berkeley department engineering they take 12and the level of radiation? it should show up this weekend. haazig madyun in berkeley. >> sfo, because of the ongoing nuclear crisis customs/border patrol are going to be extra vigilant from personal radiation detectors from a cargo and personnel passengers from japan. so far, no planes have had tested positive for harmful levels of radiation. maureen kelly. >>pam: that scare has led for a very high level of radiation devices. gabe slate's tech report >>gabe: the most popular is the one are sold out. their website has a message. the situation has caused a shortage. and they are going to tell them that that it will take months. on the bay, 270 and each had on e bay at $305 with only one day left. on the auction. the amount of radiation will not be at a concerning level. it is not really recommended that you need this. however, it has raised awareness and we do know that nuclear power plants in america if anything were to happen here? perhaps when key to this but they're not a common con

after days of waiting and days of testing, at a uc-berkeley lab we know whether radiation from japan is in the rain falling across the bay area right now. cheryl hurd joins us from berkeley with those results. >> reporter: rain here in the bay area is raising concerns. some people worry japan's nuclear disaster will mean that radiation levels here will increase to unhealthy levels. >> i have a feeling it's going to increase. it's not going to be pretty. but hopefully it's not too dangerous. >> reporter: measurements are in progress right now in a lab at uc-berkeley's campus. >> as of last wednesday we started to collect air samples, and as of friday, saturday, we started to also collect rain. >> reporter: around the clock analysis shows a definite increase in radiation levels in water and air. but -- >> we should not be concerned. the amount of radiation we are observing here from japan is extremely small and should not cause any problem, any concern for us and our health. >> reporter: he says the testing is important because it helps nuclear engineers understand radiation and also h

stawnt protestors at uc berkeley agree to leave the ledge tonight after the university gave them what they wanted. lillian is on campus for us tonight outside wheeler hall, william. >> student protestors claiming victory tonight after seven hours they say university officials finally agreed to some of their demands. 8 protestors received victory hug after they emerged from the hall for nearly seven hours they stood on the building 4 story ledge bound together with pvc pipe, duct tape. >> did it seem long. >> no it went very, very quickly. >> do you think you could have stayed there much longer. >> i don't know. i don't know. when you are fighting for a cause you believe in you can do plenty of things. >>reporter: started out with nine protestors but one got arrested soon after when he tried go back in the building. came to protest fighting against since 2009. budget cut for higher education and ongoing fee hook. stun on the ground came to show their support for those about perched above. >> we are the fun days of the university and if they keep pushing us to pay more fee and more fee

robert hammer with uc berkeley size meteorology department. this is just a massive earthquakement can you describe for us the power that an 8.8 quake carries? >> that's larger than anything we have seen here in californi california. by quite a bit. 8.8 rank in the top dozen in the world in the last 100 year years. earthquake in indonesian as i recall was 9.0a few years ago. this is larger quake we have had in recorded is in recent years certainly. give us a sense of how much stronger an earthquake is just say from going 8.7 to 8.8 in terms of how much of an increase in magnitude. >> each time you go up a tenth it goes up by 30 percent and energy release almost doubles. >> energy almost doubles in just one tenth of a point. >> almost. yes. >> we understand that several quakes hit this same region wednesday. there was a 7. 3 magnitude quake in that area so obviously very seismiccly active situation there and we are probably expecting more after shock sns. >> yes well when you look at the pills coast of japan it is very active seismic and you wil

supervisor chu: i came to the area to pursue a master's degree in public policy at the uc- berkeley school. ever since then, i fell in love with what a wonderful area the bay area is. >> what motivated your interest in politics? supervisor chu: to be frank, i never saw myself in an elected position at all. i had grown up in southern california, and during the first day of the los angeles riots, my parents had their cars stolen at gunpoint. they were left out and had to pay someone $100 to get back to chinatown. it really influenced me. we had a restaurant at the time, and at the time, we were always worried, watching the news, to see whether or not the restaurant would be looted, whether or not it would go up in fire. that was something that was a big concern and worry for my family at the time. i remember thinking even at that age how important it was to consider what the economics were in communities, whether people had or felt that they had opportunities or did not have opportunities, and what role it was that government played in those outcomes. that is what really put me on the path t

. >>> also, a warning for uc berkeley students this morning after an assault on campus.the victim did to get away. the morning news continues. >>> good morning and thank you for joining us. thursday, march south. i'm pam cook. >> i'm dave clark. >> let's check weather and traffic. >> thank you very much. >>> we have mostly clear skies right now. but clouds are increase manage the north bay. rain is on the way there. is not a whopper of a system. but highs 50s 60s. there will be morning sun, peninsula, south bay and east bay. clouds rolling in, rain starts mid morning and by late this afternoon, should make it points south. but it will weaken considerably. >>> all right. we have live above 101 in san mateo where chopper 2 has just arrived on scene there. is 1501 just south. and officials say a car was speeding and slammed into the sound wall. you can see all of the emergency crews onscene there. there's a yellow tarp and that is the body. at least two cars involved and a motorcyclist down. two lanes are blocked. looks like possibly three. the coroner should be arriving mo

uc h-berkele. >> college students protesting across the bay area, but at berkeley it's not over. it's happening as we speak. a vocal and somewhat forceful group of protesters upset over budget cuts. our cheryl hurd joining us from campus live at the scene with the very latest. cheryl. >> reporter: that day of action taking place all day long here at uc-berkeley campus and ending here at wheeler hall tonight. at about 10:00 tonight, police telling protesters inside the j to vacate the building. about a dozen people stayed behind. several people did leave. but as you can see, one by one, they were arrested. some of them chanting, "no cuts, no fees." others chanting, "we are doing this for your kids." one student telling me tonight why they are here. >> they can raise fees 32% every time an economic crisis happens. those happen every eight years. what's going to happen to our children? that's what this is about. >> reporter: an interesting sidenote to tonight's protests, there are a lot of police presence and sometimes more police than protesters. many of them from san francisco sta

jade hernandez is live at uc berkeley.hat's where one of the detections are active today. >> reporter: that's right. we just spoke to a faculty member here in the nuclear engineering department. he showed us a website that's collecting all of the data from those radiation detectors. it shows the levels of potassium, iodide, selair reyum. we can see that there are very, very small levels found of the elements. the information comes from four radiation detectors on the top of the hall on the campus of uc berkeley. the environmental protection agency and the state health department spent most of yesterday downplaying any hazard raidation particles may have if they e-- if they reach the west coast. radioactive fallout has reached southern california already this morning the diplomat has access to radiation tracking and says readings are about a billion times beneath levels that would be threatening. but the environmental protection agency said they won't stop reassess the situation. >> our models are based on the best availabl

especially here on uc-berkeley's campus where there are a number of experts with answers. >> traffic jam happened everywhere. >> reporter: a room filled with concerned people on uc-berkeley's campus, many wanting answers about what appears to be an escalating nuclear crisis in japan. >> you cannot get out of japan right now. it's impossible to move. so should they stay? should they try to move? people are trying to make decisions. >> reporter: the latest reports out of japan say the country has 48 hours to prevent a meltdown at the power plant. there are conflicting reports out of japan on the severity of the situation. >> my guess is the things were happening so fast and changing so fast, they had so few people on the spot because of the high radiation levels that they just couldn't assess the whole thing. >> they cannot make a mistake or conflict or comments or anything like that. so they have to prepare very well before they announce something. >> reporter: the fear is a nuclear disaster like chernobyl in the ukraine back in 1986. >> is it going to be as bad as chernobyl? i don't

reporting from uc-berkeley kron 4 news. >> darya: a look at side of our fake window.roadway is dry, traffic is not so bad. it looks like we might see the sun. >> james: in the afternoon more than likely. right now we have a layer of clouds. the right through the san ramon valley looks good. we will deal with clouds through most of the morning, there may be a shower or two lastinout there. tomorrol be sunny and warm, sunny day bay area wide range.. highway 84 really like rain right now nothing will slow you down, 580 right near altamont pass we see a bit heavier out there. if you're coming in from tracy that roadway is damp. in the south bay near milpitas near downtown, that still looks like it's light there. also dealing with light fog. visibility down to less than a mile in san rosa. last check it wa. the satellite imagery handful of clouds making its way to the bay. it will be late rain nothing compared with i yesterday. this afternoon upper 50's, low '60s spirit tomorrow as i said it will be great, saturday fantastic, then another bout of rain sunday. let's say goo

they are vowing to stay there as long as they need to in uc- berkeley.e'll have an update at 6:00. >>> we are learning that going out of business doesn't always mean a bargain. and even though it's illegal, some retailers still able to ask for your zip code. how's that? julie watts on the consumerwatch and you're going to begin with a group on getting sued. >> reporter: a lot of people love it and it's hard to resist half off, two for one, many can't resist those online coupons. but if you're among those who forgot to use their groupon before the expiration date, take note. a chicago man is suing because he forgot to use his. he claims groupon expiration dates violate illinois state law. he says a groupon is more like a gift card than a coupon and in illinois, gift cards can't expire for five years. no comment from groupon. but the fine print says the law may require the merchant to redeem your voucher the expiration date. you won't get the deal you intended to. california law says the gift cards can't ever expired. but group upon's policy has yet to be

we can see police now actually physically moving the crowd away from in front of wheeler hall on uc-berkeley. we will keep tabs on it and bring the updates. >>> in other news in the east bay today police arrested a man they say opened fire during a burglary investigation. berkeley officers were about to enter a house in west oakland to serve a search warrant when someone bolted out of that home. they say the man jumped a fence, pulled out a gun and fired a shot into the air. nobody was hurt. oakland police arrested the man a short time later. officers also arrested a second man inside the home on an unrelated charge. >>> police are confirming today a body found in a woman's backyard last month is her missing husband. dale smith hasn't been seen since september. investigators found his body 4 feet under a recently built barbecue on february 23rd. they are still working on the cause of death. police consider smith's wife evelyn a person of interest. >>> and the alameda county sheriff wants the public to be aware of this escaped convict. investigators say that ishmael cesda walked out of the sa