are we going to get? >> we're looking at probably a aquartor to half inch. ll of the corridors across t bay area wet at this point with pondings on any one of the interstates. bau pickyoit, and it's happenin out there when it comes to minor flooding issues on highway 101 also interstate 280. now, this moisture flow, this storm is tapping into, continues to move this very slowly here to the south and also off towards the east. as we put a stop on the radar, what you'll notice is those of you in the north bay that had the heaviest rainfall tonight, you're starting to clear out. you're actually dry from santa rosa down to novato. however, the widespread heaviest coverage of rainfall continues on the san francisco peninsula and the bayside communities in the east bay. we'll take you down, this is where some of the biggest problems are right now from san mateo into redwood city on highway 101. also on interstate 280 with pockets of heavier rainfall. in fact our radar is actually tracking right around a quarter inch per hour with some of this heavier rain. down in the south bay also

moderate pockets of rainfall. and a few calls into the weather center throughout los gatos where we are also finding heavier rainfall on highway 17. we expect this rain in the south bay for those of you to last for another two and a half hours or so, and also a wet commute anywhere in the east bay on 680 right through danville and also walnut creek. rainfall totals pretty impressive. a quarter to right around a half inch for most of the bay area so far. details and more on the timing coming up. >> thanks, jeff. jeff just showed you what the weather looks like above the city and above the peninsula. let's take a look at what that is doing to traffic. if you look at 101 heading down the peninsula, you see mostly red down there. traffic is backed up, we are hearing the rain is causing problems all up and down 101 down into the south bay. as jeff said, this heavy stuff is going to continue for a while so if you have plans to get on the roadway, if you can delay that a little bit, it might be a wise move. there are some things money can't by and access to the visa website was one of them today, thanks to wikileaks.

the wikileaks drama impacting visa and mastercard websites today. hackers lashed out. in berkeley, though, the city's peace and justice commission is planning a different kind of support for assange. marla joins us live from berkeley. >> reporter: jessica, the commission has passed a resolution to honor the main suspect in the leaks, army private first class bradley manning is in military custody. now, he faces 52 years in prison if convicted. meanwhile, the berkeley peace and justice commission wants him to be known as a hero. now, that's provoking debate here on the streets and it's all because of one man. >> nothing surprises me coming from berkeley. >> one of the most liberal cities in the country is at it

again, stirring the controversial pot of public opinion. >> blowing the whistle or war crimes is not a crime. >> it's all thanks to an anti-war activist, bob meola, who drafted a resolution to support and free private first class bradley manning and proclaim him a hero. the 22-year-old from oklahoma is in solitary confinement as the prime suspect accused of leaking classified military documents and a video to wikileaks, known as collateral murder, showing an army helicopter attack in baghdad in which 11 civilians were killed. >> if it turns out that he did what he's accused of, that we should honor him, recognize him as an american hero. >> i don't support making a hero out of bradley manning. >> reporter: there was four dissenting votes on the peace and justice commission outnum r

outnumbered by the seven in favor. on the wet streets of berkeley today, we didn't find one person who supported the resolution outright. >> is he a hero or is he a villain? i'm not going to come down on either side of that. >> i don't know. i need to know particularly why the guy did it. >> no, i don't think that's heroic. i think it's more of -- it could do more damage to his fellow soldiers and to the united states as a whole. >> reporter: meola stands by the controversy he has created. >> i would hope it doesn't bring bad light on berkeley. my intention was for berkeley to be a shining light and set a good example. >> reporter: i spoke to the mayor's office today. mayor tom bates is not taking sides, saying in part that because the wikileaks case is still being sorted out on both the international and national stage, it's premature for berkeley to weigh in on the

issue just yet. now the berkeley city council will vote on the resolution next tuesday. reporting live in berkeley, marla taez for nbc bay area news. now an update to breaking news we brought to you at 5:00. a toddler barely alive after falling into a reflective pool at the hyatt regency in san francisco. an alert security guard spotted the boy during the frantic search for him but did he get there in time? cheryl hurd is live outside the hyatt with more on the boy's condition. >> reporter: well, police are telling me tonight that that boy is hanging on at a local hospital. it all began here at the hyatt regency hotel at about 1:22 this afternoon. that's when police tell me they got the call. a mom and her two children taking a look at the holiday display here at the hotel. she had two children with her, a boy and a girl. we are told that they are both 18 months old. now, the boy somehow got away from her. she started searching and immediately contacted authorities here at the hotel. police were called in as well. an alert security guard noticed

the boy at the bottom of a reflecting pool. we are told that that pool is about two and a half feet deep. he pulled the boy out. that's when police stepped in and started cpr. they got the boy breathing again and returned him to the local hospital. the lobby was crowded with hotel visitors and guests at the time. we talked to one guest who said it was a chaotic scene. she was checking in at the time and saw the aftermath of this tragic story. >> it was really kind of a graphic scene because when we got here, we were checking in and we could tell that it was a small child. he was being wheeled away by paramedics. but we didn't really know what had happened. >> reporter: now, hotel officials are making that area off limits to tv cameras right now, but they did release a statement saying they are deeply concerned about the tragic accident that happened here. it went on to say that safety and security of the guests are a

top priority. we'll have an update on this story coming up at 11:00 tonight. reporting live in san francisco, i'm cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. >> well, we'll be hoping for the best. thank you, cheryl. staying in jail, the convicted sex offender charged in the attack of a 2-year-old girl in a union city store is not getting bail. 36-year-old eugene ramos appeared in court earlier today. during the hearing, ramos' attorney withdrew the request for bail. ramos is charged in the attack at a dollar store last week when he tried to rape a little girl. prosecutors say reports that ramos missed his psychiatric medication is no defense or excuse for that attack. >> there's no correlation. there's no study at all in the history of the world that says just because you're off your medication, it makes you want to sexually assault a little baby. >> a plea date is set for january 18th. we're told video evidence will be used during the prosecution. debate over the dream act is under way tonight in congress. if passed the bill would provide

undocumented students who have grown up in the u.s. the chance to obtain legal immigration status by going to college or serving in the military. 25-year-old luis, a student at whittier, making phone calls with scores of others who are similarly situated. born outside the united states, they were taken across the border as children. they hope to convince members of congress to give them a chance at becoming citizens of the only country they have ever known. >> we work, we do pay taxes, and we are struggling and just working hard to achieve a degree and apply it, as any ordinary citizens would do. >> and you came here at what age? >> at the age of 5 years old. >> reporter: the dream act would provide a pathway to citizenship for 300,000 undocumented students in california. a temporary green card would be offered those under the age of 30 who arrived in the u.s. before their 16th birthday.

they would have had to have graduated from high school and completed two years of college and/or military service and be of good moral character. democratic congressman howard berman of the san fernando valley. >> you educate them, you push them to stay in school, to excel, to avoid going out on the streets and taking that path. >> reporter: many republicans oppose the measure as being a back door amnesty and filled with loopholes. >> with every amnesty, we have had a problem with massive fraud. >> reporter: but others worry if it was a policy priority. why did it take so long for it to come to a vote. it was first introduced pie george w. bush in 2006. he couldn't get help from members of his own party but democrats have controlled both houses of congress for four years, along with a new sympathetic president. >> why didn't they pass it earlier? >> you know, we ask ourselves that same question. >> reporter: antonio rivera, who has a degree in literature from uc irvine says this isn't just about politics.

>> this is more than a bill. this is my life. >> that was conan nolan reporting for us. as lieutenant governor-elect gavin newsom prepares to move out of san francisco city hall and into the statehouse, the city is celebrating the success of project homeless. today as the 37th event held where homeless clients get one-stop shopping for information and referrals for a myriad of city services. he credits project connect by cutting homelessness. a former client is now an employee too. >> hired me. and i've been working in the office setting as a client advocate for them providing services to some of the same people that i've been on the street with for the past four years. and it's really been an experience. it helps to keep me sober and keep me focused in my life, so this program does work. >> next year the program will get a permanent home as it opens a year-round office on golden gate avenue. what's being called the future model for space travel

blasted into orbit this morning. >> 3, 2, 1, 0. we have liftoff. >> the falcon 9 rocket shot into orbit from cape canavarel. now, the dragon crew capsule on top of the rocket made two passes around the globe before returning to earth. the mission was run by the company space x. it's the first commercial capsule to make that round trip. nasa says this morning's launch is a major milestone in space travel. coming up a little later in the show, we'll tell you how you can buy a ticket to travel in space. well, still ahead, seeing green. the big push in silicon valley today to get new environmentally friendly technology into your home. plus a flight out of san jose is diverted after a passenger gets out of control. and the man accused of trying to blow up a car outside an army center goes to court. the growing number of terror plots investigators are now revealing. ♪electronic santa song

♪electronic santa song

jerry brown is not governor yet, but he's on the ground in sacramento already holding town hall meetings on the state budget crisis, even though he won't be sworn in for another three weeks. kevin riggs has the latest from the state capitol. >> california is facing, as you know, a very serious budget crisis. >> reporter: there was no sugar coating at this unusual town hall called by jerry brown. >> what we're looking at today is much worse than it's ever been before. >> reporter: a frank and sobering dialogue in which it was revealed for the first time that a projected $25 billion budget shortfall could reach $28 billion. worse, a sluggish economy means another cash shortage is looming this summer. >> if we don't have sufficient cash solutions, we run the risk again of the consequences, and i don't want to say it, but ious and delays of tax refunds and other things that hurt real people. >> reporter: the governor-elect is embracing a tough love approach to warn voters of

unpopular cuts ahead. >> because we're a divided state, north and south, republican and democrat, urban and rural, it becomes difficult to get to a consensus about the solutions, particularly when they're painful and difficult, as they will certainly be in the coming year. >> reporter: state treasurer went further saying taxpayers need to do a gut check. >> everyone wants to make it be more efficient and cut, but don't want to cut their particular favorite programs. >> reporter: brown's bad news rollout drew mostly praise today. >> i think it was a good idea. i think -- in fact i think that governor-elect brown should take this on the road. >> taxpayers have to do this all the time with their own budgets in their own life. it's about time that we own up to the responsibility of how we got here. >> i'll go back to the office and start getting my budget ready. >> reporter: a budget that's due january 10th. well, already world famous san jose wants you to know it's

going green and growing strong. san jose showed off a parking lot full of green tech today. cars, solar panels, you name it, they had it, along with people on hand to explain to consumers how it can not only help save the planet but help you save money as well. >> building up consumer awareness around these technologies that people are not really familiar with. they have heard about it and they have heard about its potential. now they get to kick the tires, so to speak. >> the plan is called green vision. it includes putting green tech inside more bay area homes while increasing the number of green collar jobs. the california high-speed rail authority is trying to figure out the way to san jose. meetings started today to talk about the best route to connect stockton to san jose via high-speed rail. the project is expected to start in stockton, then to tracy and stop in livermore to connect with bart. now, the route to san jose is still up in the air. discussions are expected to last for months.

voters approved funding for the bullet train. a flight out of san jose was diverted because of a disruptive passenger today. the flight on its way to houston diverted to albuquerque. the fbi says the man on the plane said he was suicidal and tried to open the cabin door. he was restrained by passengers. the flight did land safely in new mexico. after that the man was taken off the plane and the flight continued on to texas. the fbi says it has stopped another terror plot. this time one that targeted a military recruitment center in maryland. tonight we're learning more about the suspect and where he might have obtained weapons to carry out the charges against him. nbc bay area's, michelle franzen has the new developments tonight. >> reporter: the alleged bomb plot targeted this military recruitment center just outside baltimore. federal investigators arrested suspect antonio martinez, a 21-year-old construction worker, after he reportedly tried to detonate a car bomb outside the center filled with what turned

out to be phony explosives given to him by undercover agents. authorities say he posed no real threat to the public. >> the evidence to date indicates that he was acting alone. with his arrest today, we have eliminated the threat. >> reporter: but at the shopping center where the recruiting center is located, the attempted car bomb plot was enough to rattle many nerves of workers at nearby businesses. >> it's a very scary thing when it's that close to home. >> it could have hurt this building here. we might have been inside, you know. who knows. but it is scary really. it really is. >> reporter: prosecutors say martinez was under surveillance for the past two months while plotting the attack. the fbi says martinez, also known as muhammed hussein, is a muslim convert who became radicalized and posted internet videos supporting violent holy war. investigators say he contacted several people to obtain guns for him before an undercover informant approached him. >> there are four civilians who

were contacted by the defendant. two of them turned him down. one of them tried to talk him out of it and the third turned him into the fbi. >> it is a latest in a series of terrorist plots thwarted by authorities. the day after thanksgiving a somali american teen was arrested for plotting a car bomb attack at portland's christmas tree lighting ceremony. today a judge ordered martinez be held without bail until his next hearing on monday. michelle franzen, nbc news. a local hero being recognized by the coast guard, former petty officer honored today with the medal for extraordinary heroism for the 2008 rescue of a man from a capsized boat. >> there are three people on the boat. one person was trapped underneath and two people had managed to climb on top of the hull. and the guy underneath was starting to become a little bit panicky. he had been under there. it was kind of a little bit rocky that day from the wind, and we just got in the water and

got him out. >> he is the only person to be awarded that model. she's only one of three 10 service members to receive the honor since it was established in 1949. and congratulations to her. and congratulations to jeff ranieri for correctly predicting the storm that is hitting us right now. >> yeah. i get a congratulations each and every time. we are right 100% of the time here at nbc bay area. let's take a look right now at the radar. this storm system that started some 12 hours ago, still sluggishly moving here throughout the south bay and also the east bay. let's take you outside, a live look at the golden gate bridge. and you can see commuters dealing with some extremely wet conditions that have been lasting for, once again, the past 12 hours. a lot of ponding on the roadways even though it has dried out for parts of the north bay. let's get a look back at the rainfall totals, anywhere from a half inch to 0.67 in san rafael with this latest quick blast of

weather. 0.65 in san francisco, danville at 0.3 and san jose only 0.05 as of the last check but it's starting to add up quickly here in the south bay. that's because the main complex of the rainfall we're following is currently over the east bay and also the peninsula and now transitions into the south bay. we'll take you right here into san francisco, starting to dry out. we've already started to dry out in the north bay as well, but it's right here throughout redwood city and also down into san mateo. hayward and fremont we're nie d finding this moderate rainfall. some very moderate pockets of rainfall still making it extremely difficult with the speed limit about 60 miles an hour. a lot of drivers pabacking off down to 40 miles an hour. some pockets of rainfall right around downtown san jose and that's also the case for downtown livermore. still more rainfall on the way for those of you in walnut creek and danville, although you're under a short-lived break right

now. it certainly felt quite damp and cold out there with this rainfall as it moved in. current conditions not budging much from those daytime highs that we had today. now, with a southerly moisture flow, we're still going to track some showers in the forecast for thursday. we'll have more on that timing and more on when it will finally clear out in my seven-day forecast coming up. >> jeff, thank you very much. santa is not the only one keeping a list of whose naughty or nice. up next, why one church is keeping tabs on how businesses wish you happy holidays. how one potentially cancer-causing chemical was d on ♪

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[ male announcer ] now everyone can explore the world from home. at&t is making high speed internet more affordable than ever at only $14.95 a month. one-year price guarantee. a baptist preacher in dallas is making his list and checking it twice. he calls it a grinch list. on it the names of businesses that he claims take the christ out of christmas. >> so we've started this website, grinchalert.com, to

call out businesses that bow to political correctness but also encourage businesses that do acknowledge the real reason for the season. >> now, some landed on the naughty side for saying happy holidays instead of merry christmas. one restaurant owner that's on the naughty list said he supplied more that 500 holiday meals to children who lost parents in iraq, and the restaurant owner goes on to extend his season's greetings to the preacher. the halls may be decked a little more and the stockings a little fuller but the national retail federation says americans are planning to spend more during the holidays, but it doesn't mean shoppers don't want a discount. >> reporter: decking your halls or just your tree can burn through hundreds of your hard-earned dollars. but these women say it's hard to resist the glitter trees, decorative platters and holiday stemware. >> now, i haven't done any christmas shopping yet. >> you're decorating? >> yes. >> reporter: spending on gifts is expected to rise 2.1% this

holiday, according to the national retail federation, but for some women, now accustomed to bargain shopping since the recession, the hunt is on. >> just stocking stuff for my grand baby's stocking. >> reporter: wrapping paper, cups, napkins, ornaments and garland, everything in this store is under $1. christina says she will decorate her entire house for the holidays at the 99 cent only store for? >> under $25. >> a person could come in here and get everything for christmas just about. like it says, it says everything but the turkey. >> reporter: deals they say are the biggest gift of all when money is tight. still ahead at 6:00, tackling one hard-hitting issue. how an nfl meeting today could help keep your little athlete safe on the football field. what's in your wallet? a new report suggests it might

be cancer-causing. i'm damian trujillo. that report is coming up. police are asking for help after a gruesome discovery at a california hotel. the couple they say dismembered a man ng tlp feeling a bit off? the moment you feel run down or achy nip flu-like symptoms in the bud, with oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yourself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud.

add one more product to the list of things that can make you sick action even cause cancer. money. an environmental group has linked dollar bills to a potentially cancer-causing chemical. damian trujillo took the news to a popular south bay eatery. >> reporter: they're serving customer 36. that means about 200 more in san jose's willow glen. >> i've got to give you some change. >> reporter: with that change comes the receipt, and it's the chemicals in that receipt that a washington environmental group says can kill you. chris had no idea. >> it's now in my head. i would never think that a receipt, paper that i handle

every day all day long, would trigger cancer. >> reporter: cancer and other medical disorders. most receipts now are laser printed on thermal paper. paper made partly with what's known as bpa. >> definitely not what i wanted to hear, but it's -- you know, they say everything that you eat or drink has something to do with causing possibly cancer or some sort of disease so it doesn't surprise me in any way. >> reporter: you're not surprised? >> no, i'm not surprised at all. >> reporter: donna says she survived all these years carrying pennies made out of lead. but the recent testing also shows dollar bills are tainted with bpa because they're often placed in wallets with the thermal receipts. >> i think that companies knowing this and knowing how it could be bad for everybody should take the necessary steps in resolving the issue. >> reporter: in fact the washington toxics coalition is urging congress to pass a bill next year prohibiting the use of

bpa and other cancer-causing chemicals in thermal paper. number 41, just a couple hundred more receipts for chris to handle. damian trujillo, nbc bay area news. the inmate accused of beating a santa cruz deputy and setting off a five-hour manhunt went before a judge today. prosecutors charging maurice ainsworth with multiple felonies, including attempted murder, assault and kidnapping. the 24-year-old was accused of overpowering a deputy, beating her, tasering her and then taking off with her handgun, all during a trip to the hospital. he will be back in court later this month to face the charges against him. a gruesome discovery in a southern california hotel has led to a manhunt for a pennsylvania couple. reporter ted chen from our los angeles station has more on the possible motive for an appalling crime. >> just please help us. >> reporter: today would have been herbert tracy white's 50th birthday. instead of being with him, his

family was with the lapd pleading with him to find his killers. detectives believe it's these two, 36-year-old edward garcia and his wife, melissa garcia. >> we believe that the victim, mr. white, met them, met the two individuals, someplace in hollywood a day or two prior to the murder, and he befriended them, helped them out, giving them money. >> reporter: on november 29th, the housekeeper made a gruesome discovery at the continental hotel. white's body parts were in a backpack underneath the bed. the couple is also being investigated for a similar crime in york, pennsylvania. white, his family says, was a big man and must have been taken by surprise. >> he did say that he was feeling very good and that he had met a very lovely young couple at the atm. >> reporter: his family says it wasn't surprising that white was trying to help the garcias. they say white worked as a

handyman but spent a lot of his time helping the homeless and others. >> he was a very giving, healthy, devoted person. he was very proud of the fact that he had just completed his 15th year of sobriety. >> he loved helping people. it's hard to imagine him not here with his family. the house of representatives today rejecting a bill that would have brought sweeping changes to mining safety. the legislation stems from a deadly explosion in april that killed 29 west virginia coal miners. it would have made it easier to shut down problematic mines and to increase penalties for safety violations. democrats brought up the bill under a special procedure that required a two-thirds majority. republicans said the bill was too punitive and too premature. senate majority leaders put off a vote on a bill con take a repeal of the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. democrats had been trying to get 60 votes they needed to break a filibuster, but they postponed a

scheduled vote for today after republican sue collins said she would not vote for the bill without more debate. republicans want to vote on a tax package before taking up the 17-year-old ban on openly gay service members. it's no secret that football is a hard-hitting sport, but it turns out that the best helmet designed to protect players from peewees to the pros don't actually seem to be doing the job. the nfl met with manufacturers today to talk about helmet-to-helmet hits, specifically about protecting players from concussions. serious head injuries on the rise at all levels of the game. inside pro helmets, a sticker of safety. >> if we address concussions without scientific data, we have no way to predict that that change is going to be effective. >> we need to do more research to figure out what makes brains different and more or less con cussable. >> something the industry says it is working with researchers on, spending millions of dollars

to underwrite concussion research. from the u.s. to the u.k., the beatles faithful are remembering john lennon 30 years after his death. in new york, many are visiting the strawberry fields in central park. many are remembering him. in his hometown of liverpool, england, fans have a special relationship with their native son. >> just a fantastic spokesperson for the city and peace and this time of year at christmas time, i thought i'd come along to look at the memorial. fantastic, you know. >> john lennon was born in 1940 so he would have been 70 had he not been killed. the beatles formed in 1957 and played together until 1970. >> imagine all the people that don't know john lennon's legacy. still ahead, oprah tells all to barbara walters.

what the queen of talk has to say about those rumors that she's gay. plus one out of this world concept launched by a california company this morning that could send you into space. >ur>> oonec s our second storm now in four days. we're tracking it for youd righ now. those temratures damp and becoming cold with low 50s right now in the north bay stretching back into the east bay. as we head throughout tonight and the morning hours, showers will linger around tou we'll let you know when our wednesday storm system will get out of here and allow some sun to come back. that's in just a few minutes.

a wet look outside at christmas in the park in

downtown san jose. not a lot of takers right now, a little too misty for the kids and the families, but you just wait. by the weekend, you'll be ready to head there. attention single guys, a cure for your anti-social tendencies could be a trip down the aisle. a study studied twins over the decades. the finding shows marriage calms men down, boosts their social behavior and dispels a myth that mellow fellows are the ones that get hitched. you can read more in the archives of general psychiatry. oprah winfrey says she is not a lesbian, not even a little bit. winfrey's sexuality has been the subject of rumors because of her long connection to best friend gayle king. winfrey sets the record straight in an upcoming interview with barbara walters. she said if in fact she were gay, she'd have no reason to hide it. >> everybody needs a gayle. the sights and sounds of the holidays are magical to many kids but could be a little overwhelming and even a little

frightening for some children. kids with autism and other developmental issues are overstimulated by toys with a lot of electronics and sounds. so experts recommend play-doh or mr. potato head. also look for games with no winner or loser, just an opportunity to have fun. toys r us has its annual guide for differently abled kids. >> a lot of what we focus on within the toys r us guide are toys that are going to provide self-esteem for a child. >> the guide shows what might help with motor skills or social skills and dolls that encourage interactive and dramatic play. but you can't go wrong with a mr. potato head, i've got to say. love the mr. potato head. >> you know, the gits -- >> have a mr. potato head? >> no, but they may be starting the regular season a little sooner than people may have expected. it's in the hands of the players union. just why march 31st would be better than april 1st is part of

a discussion. 49ers are going with alex smith sunday but we're asking what changes you would have made before the start of the season, what do you think? meanwhile the lawns of palo alto are manicured and ready f- bowling. we'll introduce this unique peninsula club in just a bit. and good evening, i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. a wet roadway and a slow commute tonight. that's the golden gate bridge. we'll have details on how long that rain sticks arounming

you could soon take a vacation that's out of this world. nasa is calling today's launch of a privately owned rocket, the falcon 9, a success. it could be a new model for space travel. joe rosato jr. shows us the future of space exploration and where you can get a ticket. >> this is linda, how may i direct your call. >> reporter: if exotic travel is your thing, they can hook you up. owner linda turley garrett specializes in far-off destinations. >> you go to sydney, the great barrier reef and then usually to melbourne. >> reporter: but there's another trip she'll sell you that's even more out of this world. >> it's going to suborbital space. you go to about 68 miles above the earth. >> reporter: garrett is licensed to sell tickets on virgin galactic's up coming space flights. >> this is the airplane that

takes it to 50,000 feet. >> reporter: for $200,000 you can spend several minutes in space. >> the spaceship goes straight up for 90 seconds. you're pulling a full 6 gs and you're just screaming, screaming through space. >> reporter: virgin founder, richard branson, expects the trips to begin in just over a year. so far, 400 people have bought tickets. garrett sold three. >> some people, it's about being part of history. some people, they're adrenaline junkies and they want to go fast and have a great -- you know, do the thrilling experience. >> we have liftoff. >> reporter: space exploration was once the sole work of government but that's changing as private companies enter the space race. this morning space x, a company with bay area ties, sent the first private space capsule into orbit. >> in the case of space x, the idea is that u.s. government or nasa might contract them to provide the services that until now nasa has been providing. >> reporter: astronomer ben

berth says private space travel makes sense. >> even if there's competition, especially, can help keep costs down and in the long run make things more efficient. >> reporter: at the same time, a host of companies like virgin have set their sights on the tourism space industry. >> if i can help you. >> reporter: garrett hopes to eventually book her own ticket to the stars and see the world from the ultimate view. joe rosato jr., nbc bay area news. >> jessica and i have a disagreement. for $200,000, if i had it, i would definitely do not. >> i disagree. a cocktail or nice food. >> in a thousand years when i write the history of our time, it's going to be one sentence. >> man went to space? >> there's so few people who have gone, you would have been the first. >> i'd still want to go to greece. you may want to take san jose christmas in the park tonight but certainly bring something to keep you dry. it is raining and coming down good out there.

57 degrees. you know, if it was only 30 degrees cooler we'd have some snow. that would be real christmas in the park, but no such luck. we're going to stay with temperatures in the 40s as we head into the nighttime hours. now rainfall totals pretty impressive with this latest quick blast of weather. santa rosa picking up three-quarters of an inch. san francisco airport 0.39, castro valley 0.4 and los gatos, 0.04. some pretty moderate pockets of heavy rainfall. now all this rain is heading to the south so the most consistent rainfall is now pushing into the east bay and the south bay. we're mainly dry here throughout a good portion of the bay but still some showers off to the north you'll have to contend with. for the peninsula some of the heaviest rainfall continues to push to the south. right into mountain view on highway 101 or also 280, the traffic maps are lit up in red as it is extremely slow.

traffic having to back off to 30 to 40 miles per hour. los gatos getting heavier rainfall as well. right up here for the east bay some spotty showers right around danville and also for oakland, down into hayward on 880. but a pretty wet commute tonight with plenty of traffic accidents. so take it slow out there. meanwhile, current temperatures right now, low to mid-50s across the entire board from the coastline to our inland spots. your weather headlines show a few showers for thursday, as this main band of rain starts to push out and then ahead we are going to get back into some fog but we'll also save some sunshine. yes, right in time for your weekend. all right. that's a look at the satellite loop. this tells us what's coming our way and we do have another batch of moisture. that's going to stream in tomorrow for a chance of scattered showers and also stick around for friday as well. what we're going to be watching, kind of looking ahead into the weekend, is high pressure. that's going to build in really strong for saturday and sunday and that's eventually going to warm us up and kick these

showers right out of the way. however, the next 48 hours we'll be looking at scattered showers. 6:00 a.m., 45 degrees, scattered showers in the east bay. by 11:00 a.m., 47 in san jose, 46 in los gatos and near 50 in san francisco. tomorrow you can see the sun. looks good, doesn't it? 60 in san jose, 58 in san mateo, benicia fwachlt as we head right into concourt, fairfield, pittsburg, up 50s to near 60. and in the north bay also plenty of 50s. more any time on the weather channel on cable. and here is that sunshine. saturday and sunday mid-60s. it's going a lot better for your weekend so you can get the holiday shopping done. you can enjoy all there is to do out there. >> and plan your trip to greece. >> not space. >> the debate rages on. lawrence has chimed in not

space. >> no way. >> maybe baseball a little earlier. >> oh, right. >> the giants' season opener could be coming a day earlier than expected. and in san francisco, not los angeles, major league baseball and espn trying to get the giants into an evening game on thursday, march 31st, instead of the planned opening day at dodgers stadium friday, april 1st. the fate of the scheduling swap is in the hands of the players union. simply the giants and dodgers would play a day earlier after a pregame world series championship banner unveiling. then the next day start a three-game set in l.a. the giants would lose their april 11th game at home against the dodgers. we'll keep you posted. tomorrow at 8:00 on comcast sportsnet bay area, the giants world series run the way it was meant to be seen and heard. the knbr radio crew tomorrow at 8:00. relive tim luns coinceculincecu game 1.

either the niners are throwing a curveball or throwing in the towel. neither option is great but they'll live with the results of starting alex smith over troy smith. alex 1-6 as a starter on the season. troy has won three out of five. but with frank gore out, it's back to the spread which is alex's bread and butter. >> i prepared myself to play. i knew it potentially could happen, it could come back to me and i would stay ready to play. i wasn't going to let an opportunity pass me by if i got one. >> i understand that decisions have to be made for the betterment of the team. you know, there's nothing i can do about it but continue t prepare and get ready for seattle. >> here we go. so the big question tonight, if you could have made one change with the 49ers before the start of the seaspr, what would it have been? perhaps it was look for a quarterback not named smith. under the 49ers time machine at nbcbayarea.com and weigh in. give us one change before the season started. what is it? there is nothing we would change

about this group of lawn bowlers we found in palo alto. it's a sport for all ages and all seasons. in this fast-paced world there are some games where a slow roll is critical. this is a sport that doesn't exactly use the ball. >> we call it a bowl. >> the folks know a thing or two about taking a deep breath and taking their time. it's about finesse while working the angles. >> the big difference is that we have to roll ours because they're not round so the bowls have a bias in them, which means they're always going to bend in one direction. >> why lawn bowlers become so fanatical about the sport is that no two games are the same and each roll is a challenge. >> i tried playing sports my whole life and i could never find one that clicked with me. i took golf lessons, i tried basketball, volleyball. i walked into lawn bowling and

within a couple of weeks i could do something that made it fun. >> it's like a home away from home and it's social. it's physical. it's emotional sometimes. >> in the bay area, it's a year-round sport that can be played for years on end. >> you are getting a lot of physical activity, but it's physical activity that most people can do, which is really nice, because all ages can play this game. >> what a fun story in palo alto. now, the sharks in philly tonight. what a roller coaster game this was. sharks were down 4-1 in the third but fired back with three straight jumbo joe wins the draw, sends it to little joe for the equalizer. his ninth of the year makes it 4-4 but philly wins it in overtime, 5-4. we are under two years away from the summer olympics in london and some big swimming news out of berkeley today. cal swim coach has been selected as the first-ever woman to coach the u.s. women's swim team.

she has coached six women to make the u.s. team plus 11 others representing other countries. the standout is natalie coughlin. again, the olympics will be right here on nbc. exactly 596 games. i'm being told the philly goal didn't count so we're going to a shootout. 596 days away, the olympics, but as we speak they're going to a shootout in philadelphia. >> 596 days and counting. >> i'm counting them. >> 595 tomorrow. >> and then 594. >> okay, good. thanks. just ahead, the president se gk n o bay area based tv show. people! look at you!

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you know what i want for the holidays? do tell. true love. true love is a myth. [ gasps ] you're a myth! excuse me? [ female announcer ] it's the thought that counts. and the gift. safeway. ingredients for life.

when you don't have to cook, you have time for other things. yeah, like what? i don't know. fishing. fishing?! i, uh, i said wishing. [ female announcer ] when we do the cooking, you do the enjoying. safeway. ingredients for life. tonight at 11:00 on nbc bay area news -- >> i have them every morning. >> could the common cure for your everyday headache be actually what is causing it in the first place? tonight at 11:00, what doctors say you should do. plus the four foods you want to avoid after an all new "law & order svu." usually when the president of the united states appears on a tv show, it's "meet the press" or "nightly news." president obama, however, is shaking things up on tonight's "myth busters."

he is living up to his reputation of commander in geek. he w one of the greek scientists used mirrors to set fires. the chicago tribune jokes that the next week mr. obama has a cameo on "two and a half men." but no, "myth busters" great show. kids love it and actually they do it in palo alto. that's where they put the whole show together. >> they blow a lot of things up. >> you learn a lot. i like it. >> by blowing things up? >> yes. >> let's get a quick last check. we still have time for rain that's continuing to head to the south. what we're going to be following once again is this rain throughout san jose, los gatos and also for the east bay. that's going to be sticking around as we head throughout tonight with scattered showers tomorrow. >> be careful if you're out driving. >> we'll see you tonight at 11:00.