wayne freedman, abc 7 news. >> wayne, thank you.resident obama is defending hills new budget as one of tough choices. he held a news conference that lasted more than an hour addressing two crises, the federal government and the middle east. >> kristen, president obama is visiting the bay area this thursday to meet with leaders in the tech industry and hoping to get their support for his just released 2012 budget. with the nation' deficit going up, president obama says his new proposed budget will keep going down. >> we've taken a scalp to the budget rather than a machete. >> he will save the country $400 billion over the next decade. also cutting healthcare costs while at the same time making sure every american can afford its. the president says that's the point of his affordable act. >> the deficits are going to be $50 budget lower. >> they call it dead on arrival. the president has presented us with a budget that spends too much, borrows too much and taxes too much and that costs jobs and opportunities. >> a nation more than $14

wayne freedman, "abc 7 news." >> still ahead, feelings with humor. a local hospital where laughing is the best medicine. and specialized devices used to treat horse injuries have a new use. how to help breast cancer >> right can tough for children to be stay optimistic when they are staying in the hospital with a serious illness or injury. janelle wang reports that a new program at ucsf is distracting children with pain one snierl smile at a time. >> just by looking at their feet this is no ordinary doctor. it's dan griffith and another doctor. at the children's hospital they are better known as snoop and bumble or clown zero. >> our program is nonprofit and we're dedicated to bettering the lives of children and family through humanitarian clowning and performing arts. >> ready? one, two, go, go. >> the clowns visit the children's hospital twice a week and visit dozens of kids. like nibbling can i who just had surgery in his jaw and mouth after an infection. >> we got a smile there. it was a long time for him not smiling like that. >> and oftentimes

from devil's slide in pacifica, wayne freedman abc 7 news. >> it's 4:48.omething going on this weekend? >> i little thing called the super bowl maybe. >> oh, oh, oh. i thought you were going to clean out the gutters or something. >> you going to president obama's as well? >> can't make it. can't get a flight. >> we'll tell you who got a flight and an invite, too. >> how many car accidents you get into. the joke got one company in hot water. >> severe weather [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread when you can have pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits? the warm, light delicate layers are like nothing else. add a layer of excitement to your next meal. ♪ and this is the warm fresh baked taste... of a strawberry toaster strudel. see the difference? pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat. >> welcome back as as we look at the highs, high 38 atlanta. miami 80. don't you wish they had the super bowl there because it's snowing in dallas again this morning and 20 degrees. green bay 16, pittsburgh 19! good thing you headed south and spent all

wayne freedman abc 7 news. >> thank you very much. great pictures, there is the weather today outside of the studios. there is light rain now and then. how does it look? >> it's a mess out there. there is lots of rain moving up from the south. up north there is cold air and wide spread snow so this is mount tam, it's been snowing now and this across a wide area of the north bay into counties of napa and hills below 1500 feet snow is falling as you can see. there is rain, mod troit heavy rain from vacaville down to fairfield and points south. let's move down to east bay. there is rainfall now heavy and snow on mount diablo. and farther south into santa cruz basically south we'll be back. and this is the question, when will we get a break? >> after a start to the new year this rain is having a huge impact on water supplies meaning there is less concern about another year of drought. it's remarkable how much a few days of rain and snow can help. >> falling rain pushed the reservoir to 101% of capacity. observers are impressed with the ri

wayne freedman abc 7 news. >> those waves are incredible. >> they are. >> and more cold weather withon the way. >> it's almost a shame to see the weather winding down but it's been dry so long we welcome rain there. is a live view from our mount tam camera. sky has a after glow and you can see few thin, high clouds around. there are clear skies now and mild again today and there is high temperatures 68 degrees in santa rosa and santa cruz. low to mid-60s in virtually every other location. mild weather with us and will be winding down soon. now we're looking at readings of 61 degrees in san rafael z all other locations reporting temperatures into 50s, we can expect two more cold nights coming our way with mild afternoons through sunday and then, rainy pattern setting in for next week. how cold tonight? pretty cold into north bay valleys, lows of 28 in santa rosa and there is going south ward, 35 will be the high. two locations reporting lows into 40s will be oakland and san francisco. not reporting yet of course. lows haven't happened yet. there is a large ridge of high pressure still

wayne freedman, abc 7 news. >> wayne, thank you. president obama is defending hills new budget as one of tough choices. he held a news conference that lasted more than an hour addressing two crises, the federal government and the middle east. >> kristen, president obama is visiting the bay area this thursday to meet with leaders in the tech industry and hoping to get their support for his just released 2012 budget. with the nation' deficit going up, president obama says his new proposed budget will keep going down. >> we've taken a scalp to the budget rather than a machete. >> he will save the country $400 billion over the next decade. also cutting healthcare costs while at the same time making sure every american can afford its. the president says that's the point of his affordable act. >> the deficits are going to be $50 budget lower. >> they call it dead on arrival. the president has presented us with a budget that spends too much, borrows too much and taxes too much and that costs jobs and opportunities. >> a nation more than $1

. >> some people looking for snow including wayne freedman who joins us now to show what he found. wayne? >> there is what we have. sunshine, blue skies and a vineyard. and as we're hearing just a moment ago, the issue not so much snow, but what might happen if ice comes because we had a warm period before this cold snap. and it fooled some of the crops, and they're calling this a double cross. there is a look at the north bay this afternoon. close enough to see. because snow did not work down to these levels lake county woke up to several inches worth. this is cobb's mountain on highway 175 above middleton no. cars got through wout four-wheel drive or chains. so close, yet so far. >> in my time i haven't seen too many really cold fronts that come after very warm periods of time. >> there is a nursery at central valley building supply describing this once warm and now cold again season as a climate double cross. and frost or ice on a plum tree can end a season before it begins. >> there is if it were a pruning plum you might lose a crop for this year. >> will flowers come back? >> n

wayne freedman, abc 7 news. >> it's 4:47 now. a new report links craigslist to crimes including murder. they say the allegations are totally bogus. >> what to do with libya and what libya has to do with you. i'm emily schmidt in washington. that's coming up. >> swearing in ceremonies usual quiet but not the case [ female announcer ] most women in america aren't getting the calcium they need. but yoplait wants to change that. only yoplait original has twice the calcium of the leading yogurt. that's 50% of the daily value ♪ ♪ so pass on the news and we can help close this calcium gap together. to get you started, we're giving away a million free cups at yoplait dot com. the yoplait you love now in a 4-pack. try it today. . >> welcome back. 4:50 on this friday. 2 below in great falls. mid to upper 30s in portland. that's where our weather is coming from. the east coast, delays from atlanta all the way up to boston. >> in libya rebel forces called for a new push today to oust long-time leader moammer gadhafi by staging more demonstra

from devils slide in pacifica, wayne freedman abc 7 news. >> don't go away. "7 on your side" is next.reat job with generous pay turns out to be a scam. i'm michael finney ahead on "7 on youououououououououououououou [ alarm clock buzzing, indistinct conversations ] [ female announcer ] important events can sneak up on you. oh, i am not ready. can i have a couple weeks? you could be ready. you could lose 5 pounds in 2 weeks when you replace breakfast and lunch with a fru, ain, and yoplait light. betsy bets. you haven't changed a bit. oh...neither have you... sean. well, yeah. [ female announcer ] go to yoplait.com to start your two week tune up. that's why i got them pillsbury toaster strudel. warm flaky pastry with delicious sweet filling my kids will love. plus i get two boxtops for their school. toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat. and these are the ones you'll love on a friday. pillsbury crescent pizza pockets. with just a few ingredients, you have an easy to make dinner. they're crescents for the other 364. try them tonight. >> a bay area woman fell victim to a scam targetin

wayne freedman reports what they want. >> it's the case of a near death giving an issue new life and it was a miracle! it was an absolute miracle what happened! >> that's debbie, mother of jacob. he's the surfer who nearly you drowned last january 22nd. he's alive today because a photographer on a jet ski saved his life, an illegal jet ski we might add and that's the rub among surfers around here. >> there should be somebody out there when there are big waves out there at any height. >> the break is the top of the national marine sanctuary, a place where it's illegal to operate jet skis, a high surf day or if that jet ski is involved in a rescue. but january 22nd is not one of those days. >> you can't be in a position to rescue unless you're there but you're breaking the law if you rescue. >> you're not in danger if you don't go out in dangerous waves. >> got an earful from local surfers and environmentalist that hope for compromise. it's conservation, not rescue. the surfers want a certified volunteer force free from permit and regulations that keep their jet skis out of that water.

wayne freedman is live in the marina district, hit hard by loma prieta. >> the separation of 22 yearsd half a world but not so much if you remember loama preyetta. if you're one of the people who spent the night sleeping here, on san francisco's marina green. this was san francisco's marina district. clean, and sound. but do not trust appearances. >> you can't take this for granted anymore. >> charles simpson remembers this street 22 years ago. such was the effective loma prieta

. >> from san francisco wayne freedman abc 7 news. >> thank you, wayne. >> tonight in new zealand crews have evacuated an area one around of the tallest buildings in christchurch. officials say the hotel moved about three feet sideways in just the past hour and now leaning east. elsewhere in the city crews are digging through rubble, searching for 300 people still missing. so far 120 have been pulled from the debris. teams are using heavy cranes and earth movers and dogs and hands. some of those trapped reached outside world on cell phones. >> which classroom you are? hello? who can i talk to? >> the fireman. >> this is a life. >> come with me. >> officials are concentrating on on a dozen buildings that collapsed. among them the historic stone cathedral. >> fire of the christchurch cathedral. it's fallen down. >> thousands of people in the city moved into temporary shelters. the united states is among several nations sending relief workers. >> and a california search and rescue team will leave for new zealand tonight. 74 firefighters from lajs langs -- los angeles county loaded up crate

from chp headquarters wayne freedman abc 7 news. >> and that is good and clean living. >> let's go backntense, active and moving our way. there is some wet weather here in the city now. it's wetter to the north and there is some pockets of rainfall and farther north and napa there is larger areas of activities with heavy rainfall. so rain going to continue throughout the night. there is by 11:00 tonight heavy rain pushing through virtually all parts of the bay area, overnight more rain meaning that the start of the rush hour in the morning is 5:00 will be wet. and will be wet throughout the day, tomorrow. on we go to the accu-weather forecast. there is the only day looks like it will be dry is sunday. showers or periods of rain throughout the remainder of the week. some continuing into saturday. and there is sunday looking like a dry day. and monday and tuesday. folks? winter is back. >> it is. >> thank you. >> and coming up next, a bay area super bowl winner. >> and his message for children i >>> join me tonight at 9:00, coming up then too many people not enough pavement. why the pedes

. >> wayne freedman, "abc 7 news." >> let's talk about our forecast one more day. >> we have winter coming back for next week and beyond that. if you head outside it looks nice, lake tahoe, temperatures there pretty chilly. we're talking tahoe valley airport 21 and blue canyon, 48. sunny skies. calm winds. that is all going to change by mid-week bringing several feet of new store for the presidents' day holiday and golden gate bridge. more sunshine. yeah, we gave it away but enjoy it because we are looking at more winter weather, rain that we do need. current temperatures right now, 50 degrees san francisco. 45 for n the south bay and mid 40s? san jose. up 12 degrees above average in the south bay. santa clara valley. just the same in oakland so another warm afternoon. this morning already starting out warmer so the air mass is slightly warmer due to the heating up except for the coast. a little cooler fremont, concord and antioch. highlights sunny and mild today with cloudier and cooler conditions tomorrow. our wet weather returns as soon as monday. cold wet weather by the end of the work

wayne freedman has more on that winter fun that folks have been enjoying. wayne? >> eight feet in the sierra. there is a few inches here and that is actually quite a big deal. this is a sleeping lady people call it. there it is. you can't see the snow up there for now from here. and if you move up this road this continuation of a rare event took advantage of it today. >> no one will mistake the high sierra. >> i thought it would be gone. just almost gone. but after three days more snow remains on than the amount that might fall in several winters. three inches piled up on friday. enough still there to lure people from the city. and this is just to keep it in proper perspective. >> he has hair. he's big by marin county standards. >> how do you spell face plant? >> yes and such injuries were possible but not numerous on this day. nor were they a matter for much concern. >> i got kaiser. >> this kid has got an arm. >> mario juarez a schoolteacher from san francisco one of many had a snow ball fight this afternoon. do you ever wonder where human beings feel a need to

wayne freedman, abc 7 news. >>> well, sunny here as you saw. we move next to the blizzard of 2011. america's biggest snowstorm in 50 years. the blizzard giving chicago a smackdown. 200 cars, trucks and buses still stuck from one of the record storms they have had. >> at di daybeak. lake shore drive looked like an apocalyptic movie set. cars stuck in snow so deep they could not possibly escape. this this section a mile north of downtown we have come across hundreds and hundreds of trapped cars as far as the ey could see. >> we checked for stranded motorists and found jack i collins. he came back after spending most of the night trapped in his truck. >> how long were you inside? >> almost seven hours. >> the monster storm roared in at rush hour like a winter earth. multiple accidents backed up traffic so cars, trucks, even city buses were trapped. some ran out of gas. what it was like? >> cold and everybody was, you know, just trying to stay huddled in their cars. >> reporter: all night long firefighters fanned out in snowmobiles to rescue the stranded. caroline tracy and her mother

from princeton by the sea, wayne freedman, abc 7 news. >> the window for this year's contest closes atof the month but organizers are hopeful that the competition will be held. so far this year the waves have been less than stellar according to contest organizers. if the surf does kick up, 24 invited surfers from all over the world will be notified and given 24 hours to arrive at the half moon bay surf spot. insufficient waves prevented the contest in 2007 and 2009 but last year they had the most massive waves ever. the surf swept up some of the spectators, injured others. we hope nothing like that this time around but so far again the waves are not too impressive. >> no, no. small craft advisory out there today and our winds tomorrow picking up. winds and all throughout the week really along the coast when things get churnin' up along the gulf of alaska. cold air accompanying the rain. our sutro camera and it's beautiful with the sun officially up in about 15 minutes setting about 5:45. we have the low clouds, of course, is he surface but some breezy the last hour, livermore, 33, 38 c

. >> wayne freedman abc 7 news. >> there is more news still to come tonight. just ahead a color war. a brightly-painted pizza parlor hit by vandals and a competitor has been hauled off to jail for it. >> then a look at la nina. a weather pattern flooding august aus straila keeping california dry. sudden a drought order be lifted? a throne for the tv... room for movies... your workout gear... non-stop football... it's a man cave! the boys next door will never leave. who says we want them to? >> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. >>> the manager of a pizza shop and a former employee were arrested for vandalizing a nearby pizza restaurant. the manager called police at 3:00 in the morning when she saw two men spray painting fwra feety on her building. police say they saw the men the owner says she's not diskurnled. >> nudging is going to stop us from being successful. >> a 32-year-old is a hahnger and the owner of extreme pizza is upset about what happened. >> am i sorry? absolutely. i tried to contact taylor to offer our condolences. i have o

wayne freedman reports from a smart phone shangri-la. >> gaining entrance to nasa ames is one of the toughest tickets in town but today a select few stood a good chance. >> i'm trying to get my phone to work. >> foremost of the day phones worked overtime as the space agency tried something new. a tweet up. it began when nasa posted an invitation to followers on its site then chose 100 at random. >> i just tweeted they're at nasa calling helicopters roto craft. i thought that was funny. i tweeted that. >> for nasa this is about getting information out. a leap from cyber space to three dimensions and back again. if those folks are interested in nasa our search for the universe it's a great way to talk to them. you can do knit 20 words. >> don breedwell came from nashville. he's a teacher and tweeted all day long back to his students. >> i'm tweeting about different things we're trying to do for the future. >> which included information on the keppler mission searching for earth-like planets. >> we chose out of these we chose 150,000 stars that would return the biggest yield. >> dr. pat

. >> reporter: in san francisco wayne freedman abc 7 news. >> and there is more still to come here on abc 7 news. just ahead a pipeline explosion and the cost of fixing it. who is likely to be fixing it. >> and crack down on crack pipes. paraphernalia that has been confiscated from neighborhood stores. >> and health care workers arrested for stealing from medicare. accusations with a quarter billion dollars. >> and the i team cracked a clipper card caper. >> closed captioning brought to you by mancini sleepworld. >>> p fw. and e estimates last year's san bruno gas explosion will cost $760 million by the end of the year z that will likely be passed on to consumers. the gas company says liability claims stemming from the explosion account for about $400 million. and pipeline tests and the search for missing records account for another $360 million. pg&e says much that have should be covered by insurance but says consumers could face a hike. >> a 13-year-old girl walking to school this morning says she was forced into an apartment and sexual assaulted. the girl told police the man was in