bad habit or make a new good habit, that's what a lot of san jose shoppers are doing as well. don't forget your bags, the giant reminder posted outside this trader joe's market near downtown san jose. >> she read the sign for me, we ran back and got them. dy forget them. >> reporter: the mac majority of folks we saw were walking in with their own bags, rather than out with paper bags the retailers are forced to charge for. >> i had them in the car, are i was afraid i was going so forget. >> reporter: you might be thinking, doesn't san francisco have a plastic bag ban? yes, but you can choose a paper bag for free. san jose retailers are required to charge at least a dime per paper bag, a quarter for paper sack after two years. we found a shopper who walked out carrying her purchases rather than adding another bag to her collection. >> i have reusable bags in my car. >> reporter: we did find that for pet owners, the plastic bag ban creates a bit of a pickle.

>> i reuse them for poop bags. >> i haven't thought about that. i have no idea what i'm going to do next. >> reporter: there are bags for that kind of business. we found them, 36 for 5 bucks, same price for 105 trash can liners. the city of san jose estimates 4% of plastic grocery bags are recycles, with the rest ending up in landfills. many shoppers say today's inconvenience will be worth the trouble tomorrow. >> i think it's better for the environment not to use plastic bags. >> i think it's a great idea, yeah. >> reporter: now, here in san jose you can buy a bag for 10 cents. as you mentioned. the city is discouraging that as well because they say it costs a lot of money and time to recycle those bags and they're not much better for the environment so they want to push people toward reusable bags. that's part of the reason the city of san francisco will reconsider its plastic bag ban in february. they're considering adding a ten cent fee to their paper bags in

february to make sure that they discourage use of those paper bags and encourage the use of reusable bags instead. 2012 also brings tough new anti-smoking laws to alameda. it's illegal to smoke on sidewalks, downtown, and in the shopping and business districts. no more lighting up at outdoor restaurants, bars and coffee shops. no more smoking at the beach. reaction to the new law is mixed. >> i think it's a great idea. because people cannot help people exposed to other people's smoke when they're out in public. they don't choose to have the exposure to the smoke. and so i think it's great that people can now breathe freely. >> i don't think the government should be telling us what to do. i think all of us should have our own choice. are we a democracy? i'm beginning to wonder about that. >> if you want to smoke indoors, it is illegal to do so within 20 feet of doors or windows.

balconies of multi-rental complexes are also off-limits approximate. >> a horrific crime, now we know the identity of the san jose woman killed with a machete friday night. 65-year-old marie kirk was akilled and killed, pronounced dead right there at her home allegedly killed with a machete. police have arrested another san jose woman in connection with the crime. sadik police say was standing outside the home covered in blood. police are investigating the relationship between the woman. it was the city's 39th homicide of 2011. san francisco arson investigators are trying to figure out what caused a fire that damaged three victorian homes on new year's day. neighbors evacuated as they watched the fire race uphill. christie smith has the latest on the investigation. >> flames shooting up in the sky. >> reporter: the new year got off to a disturbing start on masonic avenue, flames pouring

from a home and spreading toward two others. nancy kenyon grabbed what she could and got out. >> i picked up the steel box with the legal papers and my binoculars and left. luckily i was the only one here. i got my tenant out. >> reporter: it was 8:00 at night, burned fast, took 100 firefighters an hour to knock down the three-alarm fire. at first light arson investigators worked on a cause and firefighters say it started in the back. these homes are close and thankful it wasn't windy. >> the closeness of the flame, my concern at that point was getting into more and more buildings. >> reporter: ten people were displaced. one firefighter suffered minor injuries. another person was taken to the hospital. neighbors are still on edge. >> in the back of our place i could see the entire rear of the house was in flames and starting to spread. and it was pretty frightening. so first thought was to get the kids out. >> reporter: in san francisco,

christie smith, nbc bay area news. l.a. cops say they've arrested a serial arsonist that has put city residents on edge. police say they stopped the suspect's van in hollywood inside their car, they found materials linking him to several fires set overnight. the suspect, whose identity hasn't been revealed yet, is said to be a german native who was reportedly fighting the u.s. government over a relative's immigration status. there have been some 60 fires set in the past week in the los angeles area, keeping firefighters scrambling and residents nervous. >> last night when i got home from work, almost all the carports were empty because nobody wants to park in the carports. >> police say the suspect they arrested resembled the person of interest captured on this videotape near a carport. the fires so far have cost $2 million in damage. a massive manhunt in washington state is over tonight. law enforcement officials say the man suspected of killing a mt. ranier park ranger is dead.

authorities found the body of 24-year-old ben that minute barnes near his bar. he had been trulging through snow trying to get away from s.w.a.t. teams. it's believed he died from cold weather. authorities say barnes shot 34-year-old margaret anderson when he sped through a checkpoint at the narc park sunday. barnes was suspected of firing shots at a house party near seattle early new year's day leaving four wounded there. authorities think he drove to mt. ranier national park to hide out. the shooting is a shock to the community of rangers. >> the mood around our headquarters this morning was somber. subdued. everybody is very much in shock. i don't think anyone slept very well last night from our front line people right up to the superintendent. >> barnes was an iraq war veteran. court documents show a woman filed a restraining order against barnes in july saying he possibly suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

the palo alto v.a. hospital is getting ready for an influx of veterans returning from afghanistan and iraq. 50 additional soldiers per month are expected to come to the centers. v.a. social workers say what makes the july more difficult for returning soldiers is that a lot of the them are guard members now without the security blanket of a military base. while 2012 is issuing in a new era in politics, today is the last full day of campaigning before the iowa caucuses. $candidates are claiming they can take the contest. ron paul, front-runner mitt romney, and religious social conservative former pennsylvania senator rick santorum. steve handelsman is in iowa for us, he is with santorum, joins us live with more on his surge in this campaign. >> reporter: good evening from des moines. this is iowa caucus headquarters where they will make the results public tomorrow night. rick santorum. he doesn't even have a campaign

bus. but his pickup truck could carry the staunch conservative to a startling caucus finish here in iowa. rick santorum. >> we've raised more money in the last few days than in the last few months. >> reporter: the former seven surged from 7% at christmas to 22% friday. climbing after a huge effort. more than any other republican candidate in iowa, rick santorum's come to small towns. this is polk city. a few thousand people. here he is today in the rising sun cafe, standing room only. the surge is grabbing voters. more iowans saying they're for santorum makes you feel, maybe i'll join? >> possibly, maybe a little bit, yeah. >> reporter: santorum's appealing to christian conservatives. >> if you're looking for someone you can trust, someone who's authentic, i'll put myself out there. >> reporter: reality tv's duggar family got on board. >> duggars are part of the

santorum surge? >> that's right. >> reporter: unless bachmann and perry voters flock to santorum, mitt romney figures he can win tomorrow. >> get out and vote and vote and vote, get your friends to go to the caucuses. >> reporter: ron paul has a shot to win iowa. >> tomorrow is a very important day. small in numbers, but very big message. >> reporter: newt gingrich vows he's not quitting. >> whatever i do tomorrow night will be a victory. because i'm still standing. >> reporter: next is new hampshire. romney country. santorum tells me he's in. >> we don't have any intention of beating mitt romney, he's saved his life there for the past four years. we think we can do well in the pack and move up and do very well. >> south carolina? >> that's going to be a very good state for us. >> reporter: first, iowa. tomorrow tells the tale. iowa republicans caucasian does at 7:00 central time. the first results will come in here soon after. i'm steve handelsman, nbc bay area news, live in des moines.

>> thank you, steve. for more coverage on the iowa caucuses, stay with us for "nightly news with brian williams" after this newscast. we'll take you to the san francisco zoo for your first look at banana sam. back home safe and sound. how to get a jump on the hottest tickets in town, they go on sale tomorrow but you can buy them tonight. minutes away from the fiesta bowl, stanford and oklahoma state. a preview from glendale. check in on one of the biggest viewing ports in palo alto. temperatures right now in the 50s. a lot cooler today, a lot more cloud cover around here from santa rosa to livermore. as we continue through tonight, we'll see plenty of cool numbers dropping into the 40s for the south bay. we'll have details on cloud cover. [ male announcer ] for some reason those five food groups

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the 49ers are two games from the super bowl. the first of those games will be played in san francisco on saturday, january 14th. nbc bay area's jamie trujillo is live at 49er headquarters as people are already buying tickets, is that true? >> reporter: they are. you know, there hant been that much excitement at 49ers headquarters in a decade. but the team website says tickets go on sale to the general public tomorrow on ticketmaster only, beginning at 10:00 a.m. but we found a guy who's already taking orders. >> top notch seats. yes, we do, how many are you looking for? >> reporter: even on this holiday the phone is ringing off the hook at hop notch tickets in campbell. >> very best seats would be -- 40 to 50 yard line. those are running $650 each.

>> reporter: even though tickets don't officially go on sale tuesday, paul hillig is already selling the best seatth in the house for the game january 14th. here's the broker's explanation. >> most seats go to season ticket holders. and, you know, we already have our seats that we know we're going to have and then we have access to a lot of other seats also through our wholesale connections. >> reporter: hillig hasn't sold january football tickets in ten years. the last time the niners made the playoffs. he says a $650 price tag for the best seats is more than double regular season games. and that might price out many 49ers faithful. >> got your tickets? >> no, i'm one of them broke fans going to watch from the house. money's tight. >> reporter: juan came to niners headquarters to see the five super bowl trophies in the lobby. the niners fan will start making

room on his jacket for number six. and if you're one of those waiting until tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. for ticketmaster, the team announced a couple of hours ago that game is almost sold out. it is a day game. you wonder why they schedule addai game. we know what happened the last time the niners played a night game at candlestick park, the power outage. live at 49ers headquarters, damian trujillo. >> the light won't be a problem this time, thank you. in just about 15 minutes, stanford cardinal led by andrew luck will kick off against oklahoma state in the tostitos fiesta bowl. fans are gathered to watch what will be luck's last game in a cardinal uniform. tonight's game expected to be a high-scoring thriller as two teams boast a combined record of 22-2, a pair of the best quarterbacks in the country, and an average more than 45 points a

game. and cardinal fans say they're ready for the show. >> really excited, really excited. it will be a really fun game and it's always fun to be out to watch games. >> tonight's came is the 41st annual tostitos fiesta bowl at university of phoenix stadium in glendale. let's check in with the teams. only nbc bay area has a reporter with the cardinal. scott reese has more from glendale. >> reporter: on the surface this seems like a repeat of last year. stanford 11-1 heading to a bcs bowl game. the feel is much, much different. first of all, oums the stadium, at least twice as many standeford backers made the trip to arizona as did last season to miami. the feel inside of this football game. a daunting task for the stanford defense, try and slow down an oklahoma state offense that puts up 49 points a game. of course the biggest subplot of them all, andrew luck playing his final collegiate football game before being in all likelihood the number one pick

in next year's nfl draft. will luck go out on a hinote and cap a career that is luckbly the greatest of any stanford quarterback in history in we'll find out a few hours from now and complete coverage on nbc bay area at 11:00 and sports net central at 10:30 on comcast sports net. >> going to be an exciting game. >> i know. we're all pumped over here. >> we are. i'm very excited. let's talk about our forecast. glad we'll be indoors watching the football game. >> yeah. >> tell us what the weather looks like outdoors. >> not too much of a problem here. you guys are excited about the game. i'm excited about the weather. and some pretty fascinating stuff we're finding out here tonight. this coming to us from damian trujillo and his crew in santa clara near 49ers camp. this is unbelievable. low-level moisture and drier air filtering in and just a little bit of twisting and some wind shear in the atmosphere. and what we're seeing right now this is magnificent cloud formation. if you're seeing this, this is not a tornado.

once again, it's mother nature mimicking what many people often think looks like a tornado. again, it's this low-level moisture interacting with winds in the the atmosphere. pretty magnificent. if you saw that this afternoon, you want to post it to our facebook page, head there, facebook.com/nbcbayarea. a look at radar, we are dry from the north to the south bay. we had a little drizzle this morning with some of this low-level moisture. with clouds still hanging around, numbers in the 50s, 5 to 8 degrees cooler than what we had sunday. the first day of 2012. hopefully it was good for you. 59 livermore. 54 hayward. 56 san francisco. 56 in santa rosa. tonight we'll see areas of fog developing. temperatures dropping mainly in the 40s for a lot of us. throughout tuesday, a warmer day with us, temperatures 5 to 10 above average. and we could even be talking about temperatures near 70 degrees here for a good part of the bay area.

satellite radar picture shows that cool front that passed by this morning helping produce that spectacular cloud formation we saw. offshore we have cloud cover that will mainly filter toward eureka and most of northern california. we'll start to be on the clearing and drying trend. all this moisture out here, that's going to start to get deflected from high pressure off here to the south. so our next rainmaker not going to have any kind of a chance of moving in over the next 48 hours. so it's going to stay dry and also mild for this time of the year. tomorrow, plenty of widespread 60s. a lot more sunshine than we had today. as we head wednesday, south bay upper 60s and possibly even some low 70s in january. quite unbelievable. as for tonight, 38 in santa rosa. 39 in napa. 39 fairfield. 38 gilroy. 39 los gatos. and mid 40s in san francisco. we're also finding again those areas of patchy fog. for tuesday, much sunnier. is going to be dry with temperatures in the mid 60s in los gatos.

low to mid 60s from san mateo to stanford. redwood city, atherton, menlo park. if you're headed to the city, oakland city. tri-valley, san ramon to pleasant don't, dublin, 64. 62 santa rosa. 63 lake port. morning time at nbcbayarea.com, don't forget, it's our watch, win, give-away tonight. >> heard about that. >> it's a kindle, head to our website for that. dry this weekend, no raindrops right now in that seven-day forecast. running about 5 to 6 inches below for the rainfall season. right now, really the best thing we can do is keep our fingers crossed. it's not cooperating. >> almost 70 tomorrow, or wednesday. >> yeah, yeah. twitter sensation banana sam is back home at the san francisco zoo tonight. someone kidnapped the two-pound squirrel monkey from his exhibit thursday night or friday morning. then on saturday night, police received a call that a monkey in

stern grove about a mile from the zoo. a man says he found the monkey and was able to coax him into his backpack. banana sam appeared to be cold and hngry but okay. the $5,000 reward in this case has yet to be paid. banana sam's latest twitter update? gonna try and get lifetime to make a movie about my escape. >> a lifetime movie about banana sam's escape? stay tuned for that. raising your heart rate could help raise your grades too. we'll meet the bay area's first baby of 2012. [ mom ] hey guys. guys... [ female announcer ] pillsbury cinnamon rolls with cinnabon cinnamon

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here's something to think aboutt aboutthenext time your kid's school starts talking about cutting physicicut ing physical education.

strong, physical evidence linking physical activity with academic performance. experts think exercise may increase blood and oxygen flow to the brain and increase levels of hormones that lower stress and let you pay attention better. they say more studies examining the relationship between working out and grades is needed. the first baby born in the bay area this year was born in the east bay at the stroke of midnight new year's day. baby sophia was born at eden medical center in castro valley. she weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces. amelia and loricio will take baby sophia home to four brothers. >> so five is the charm. congratulations to them. when we come back, the que of soul gets a king. [ female announcer ] these are the crescents you love on a holiday.

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this summer will mark another royal wedding. the queen of soul, aretha franklin, is tying the knot. >> franklin announced she was engaged to william wilkerson, a former detroit firefighter. franklin says they're considering a summer wedding with a reception on a yacht. the two got gaengaged over the holiday. hopefully he will pay her the respect she deserves. a final check of the forecast. >> we are looking at mild weather coming as we head throughout the next three days. close to 70 inland as we head throughout wednesday. no raindrops as we head throughout the next seven days. the like, watch and win give-away happens at 11:00 p.m. go to our facebook page and hit like and you can enter to win. >> what? >> a kindle fire tonight. cheeseburger macaroni?

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