♪ where i belong construction on the new span could affect your commute. (nats of shooting) plus.. we're learning mo how construction on the new pan could affect your morning commute. good morning, everyone. it is wednesday the of november. the time now is 4:30. let's get a quick look at weather and traffic. tracy has the forecast. >> good morning, juliet. the rainfall headed back to the bay area. we'll take a look at your complete seven-day forecast in

a few moments. a little more holiday cheer. hereto's elizabeth winger. >> thank you. i missed the beginning of that, holiday cheer. >> juliet has a beautiful red blazer. >> i see. got it. >> we can bring holiday cheer to the traffic department. not a lot going on. no big traffic spots out there, this is a live look near the colosseum. golden gate bridge, you can see the traffic is light. one highlight coming our way. they have not had a lane change yet. closer to 5:00. if you are planning on getting out of town there are chains required for the sierra. much more on the commute and elsewhere. back to you guys. >> thanks very much. it is 4:51. of course, now you're going to look, right? that's a warning to drivers on the bay bridge this morning. go to sharon on treasure island with a look at what you should be not looking at this morning. good morning. >> good morning, cindy.

around the clock lift operation begins today. as you can see here, the framework is over in place. there are workers at the base of the tower. they're going to build more of the signature tower on the bay bridge. giant cranes will start lifting the first of five segments for the tower of the suspension stand. crews have been getting ready since monday unloading 4 million pounds of steel that arrived from china. the work originally scheduled for thursday, but crews got ready a day earlier. workers will hoist the tower section into the area bringing the tower three-fourths of the way to its final height. ones again caltrans is asking drivers not to get distracted as they can see the work going on from the upper deck of the bay bridge. >> there is a little bit of concern that we can have traffic slowdowns on the bridge when the work take place. motorists have been fantastic. we haven't seen a real problem.

we're hoping for the same thing. >> crews hope to finish the newest section of the tower by christmas. caltrans said it's month ahead of schedule, but it's actually taken a while and many delays to get to this point as you remember. caltrans predicts the $6.3 billion project will be done by 2013, but that is 24 years after the loma preata earthquake. caltrans said it would fill us in on the new details of the tower section going up at a news conference this morning at 6:00. >> add to that something to look at and the wet roads and people calling you on your cell phone and drinking your coffee. be careful out there. >> so many things to get you distracted. >> thanks. >> time now is 4:33. >> taking the bart to work. if paying with an easy rider card, you might be turned away. today the transit system is switching to the new clipper card.

cards will be blocked at some stations. batter riders can sign up for a card online. it can also be found at walgreen's and select stations. cards will be blocked at all stations by next wednesday. san francisco has dropped its controversial plan to impose a told on drivers entering the city from the peninsula. the proposal would have charged drivers six dollars each time they entered or left the state. now the supervisors want to charge drivers a fee for driving the downtown area, a congestion told of three dollars to go in and three dollars to get out. 4:34. this morning, an updated national transportation board report is looking at a new possible trigger of the deadly explosion. the report found the blasted pipeline had weaknesses along the wells. bge had previously said that the pipe was seamless meaning it had no wells, but the ntsb found a patchwork of themes. they did not find outside

corrosion, dent or leaks that might have led to failure. investigators have not settled on a definite cause. >> a council asked for public on a symbolic resolution last night. private bradley manning accused of giving wiki leaks a quarter million secret of u.s. cables. a member of the city's volunteer peace and justice commission wrote the resolution. >> whistle blowers need to be respected and protected. >> in terms of he's a traitor, and he went against whatever he signed during the military. he violated his word. >> i would urge the council to vote no against the resolution. the right to privacy is essential in our country and essential to diplomacy. >> we need to have information.

if we don't want to go toward a closed fascist government. >> the council decided it wanted to wait to see what happens with manning's trial. if convicted of the charges, he faces 52 years in prison. a bay area soldier has been killed in action in afghanistan. army specialist derek simonetta was back home two months ago celebrating his 21st birthday. his family said he had misgiving about returning to the war front. he was one of six soldiers killed on sunday. oakland's police chief asking for a federal investigation into the police shooting of derek intelligence. jones shot and killed last month by officers responding to a domestic dispute at a barbershop. police say the 37-year-old appeared to pull a metal object from his pants just before he was shot. police chief anthony bets says he understands some people may distrust an internal police investigation.

>> this morning we are america more about the gunman who opened fire at a school board meeting in florida. clay duke was there complaining about his wife losing her job at the school district. most everybody ran out of the room when duke pulled out a gun, including a reporter who left her camera running. >> i saw him come out, spray paint a big circle with a have, with a line through it. he said, "i have a motion for you," and pulled out his gun. >> before the shooting began one school board member attacked duke with her purse. duke's shots didn't hit anyone. a security guard wounded him, and then duke took his own life. 4:37. looks like the united states senate will vote today to pass the compromised tax cut bill. it would extend tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year and provide extended jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. republicans like the bill the way it is.

house democrats, though, have other ideas. >> i am hoping the bill is improved, and i am hoping that it passes before the end of the year. >> this agreement is not subject to being reopened. >> president obama announced the deal a week ago. the bill has bipartisan support in the senate, which voted 83- 15 on monday to send it to a final vote. time now 4:38. let's get another check of weather and traffic. tracy has our forecast. >> good morning, ladies. the forecast for the morning, mostly cloudy conditions with areas of fog across the bay area, and temperatures ranging from the lower 40s to the lower 50s. for this afternoon, how about a mix of sun and clouds to make up for the rainfall we had yesterday. partly cloudy conditions. temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. tomorrow we are expects more sunshine, but take a look at what's in store for the end of the week. friday another storm system

comes in. this one will give us a continued chance of showers saturday, sunday, monday, tuesday and wednesday. yeah. it could be wet. that's a look at -- i'm bringing some holiday cheer. how are you doing, liz? >> that's a lot of rain. thank you, tracy. a bad morning commute. now we are dry. we will take you to a problem in the santa cruz mountains. a blocked lane, crews headed to the scene. south of highway 35. watch out for that. they should be clearing it soon, hopefully. in the south bay coming down through san jose, looking good in the northbound lanes of 280. still early. it's hard to find any kind of yellow or slowing at all on our sensors. not a lot of roadwork going on there. the drive from the altamonte pass, so far so good. with yesterday's commute, this is a bad one. but for now good along that stretch. 13 minutes takes you to

loveland. your appropriates to the bay bridge, seeing a little bit of slowing already on westbound 24 as you make your way out of the tunnel. be but the bay bridge is delay- free, problem-free headed into sfranl. that's your traffic. back up to you. all right, elizabeth. thank you, so much. it is 4:ho. oakland taking a leap of faith the big step in the push to keep the a's in town. plus recession, what recession? why so many shoppers are flocking to luxury stores this holiday. series wag oakland is moving ahead in efforts to build a new base,

later on today, a mix of sun and clouds. san mateo at 56 degrees, palo alto at 57, santa clara at 58, a dry nice day, but more rainfall back in the forecast. we'll take a look at your seven- day in a few moments. bah humbug, tracy. that's okay. we need it. >> oakland moving ahead in its

effort to build a new baseball stadium. the committee voting yesterday to spend $750,000 for an environmental impact study. the entire council set to vote on that next tuesday. the site of the proposed stadium south of london square. and the mayor of arlington texas headed to san francisco today. he is going to settle a bet with mayor gavin newsome. the mayor will help out at the junior giant game. he has to wear a giants jersey as well. the wager was made in october. as part of the deal, he sent newsome some texas barbecue. recession, what recession. if you go to luxury stores this holiday season, you'll see people spending unlike they've spent before. there will be a lot of high-end ho ho hos this year. >> it's not to grandmother's house we go, but to tiffany's.

>> i take it you've been pleased with tiffany. >> yes, i have. >> reporter: that's where thes a carsons may be too bashful to show their bling on camera. expect gifts in tiffany blue. >> oh, yeah, christmas gifts for my husband's work. >> this isn't a christmas tale of deck dents. call 80 sign of the times. >> in the economy, a compilation of people are willing to share their earnings with someone else. >> consumers had apparently fallen into a recession depression. that meant many stayed in the pristine windows of saks fifth avenue. but gazing in the windows is over, luxury spending is roaring back. >> we can't afford to more or less live like we used to live. >> knee man marcus, tiffany, coach and louie vuitton saw spikes in sales of 45%. ask robin lawson who spent 600

bucks on a louie wallet. >> how often do you go to neiman's? >> louis vuitton or neiman's? >> pretty often when it's gift giving time. >> reporter: mid level retailers like macy's expect a 3 and a half percent up tick this year. but get this, high-end retailers expect to jump 7% over last christmas. why? >> with the higher retail stores, they will pretend they're lowering prices, but they actually boost prices up and then give you the cut. >> reporter: so, yes, virginia there is a santa claus. only he has deep pockets. in san francisco, robert miles, cbs5. san jose, now california's biggest city to put a ban on plastic bags. the city council passed the ordinance 9-1 last night. starting in 2012, store customers will have to bring their own reusable bags or pay

for paper. a warning this morning about cough medicine. what the feds say looks too much like candy. plus an attack in one neighborhood. the predators breaking in through doggy doors. >> and get this, a sight straight out of ocean's 11. how the robber was able to get away with a vegas jackpot. ,,,,,,

a judge said yesterd n d be released on the founder of wiki leaks will stay in jail for another day. a judge said yesterday julian assange could be released on bail. but the decision was challenged, keeping him lock up until tomorrow. they want him extradited so they can question him about allegations of unlawful sex practices with wiki leaks' volunteers. the air force has blocked computer access to web sites that share documents. the sites include the new york times and more than 25 other web sites that published

sensitive diplomatic documents. wiki leaks released a quarter million documents. 4:49. wasn't exactly hike the movie ocean's 51, but an armed thief made off with 1 and a half million dollars in chips from a big las vegas casino. can't believe this was all security. but there it is. the video caught the bandit running through the bellagio before four yesterday morning. police say he walked inside with a gun, walked up to a crap's table, robbed it and got away, and got away despite the fact that the security camera was trained on him.

>> investigators think the same man pulled a similar heist last week at another vegas casino. forecast for this morning, plenty of clouds out there. we have some reports of fog out there this morning. temperatures ranging from the lower 50s to the lower 40s. >> a mix of sun and clouds across the bay area this afternoon, and these temperatures. mid to upper 50s around the bay. and also inland. here's a look at our satellite and radar. we have some clouds filtering through. but all in all, today will be a dry break with a mix of sun and clouds. but look at what's just behind us, more rainfall coming in. that will be friday, that will be saturday, sunday, monday and tuesday. yes, we're moving into a wet pattern. for today and tomorrow, dry in the bay and the sierra with a

mix of sun and clouds. snow and windy conditions coming in time friday as well as the rainfall moving into the bay area friday. here's a look at highs for today, mid 50s for fairfield and concord, 57 at freemont, 58 in san jose, 56 in san francisco, and the mid 50s from san valeo, 56 degrees in santa rosa. the five-day forecast is a dry break today and tomorrow; but after that, it's going to be wet. a good chance of rainfall coming in friday. that storm system is just going to be rotating different smaller systems through the bay area. that will keep a chance of rainfall in the forecast saturday, sunday, monday and tuesday. so if you saved your holiday weekend for this week, good luck. your holiday shopping. >> let's go out live. i wanted to go to redwood city. we're doing pretty well.

the highlights moving northbound past whipple. a nice drive to san mateo, traffic looking good. like tracy said, this is the calm before the storm. a nice dry break. not a whole lot of problems on the road. let's go to the map. this is where we have a bit of a hiccup. if headed up to the sierra, a change, interstate 80, highway 50 and highway 88. the chains required on interstate 80 between gold run and the state line. so make sure you drive appropriately if you are headed up toward the mountains. elsewhere, closer to home, doing well. a much different start to the morning commute than yesterday. saw several spin-outs. looking good across the san mateo bridge in either direction. a live look up the freeway. this is near the colosseum. 880 looks great utterly way to downtown oakland and the mack arthur maetz. dealing with blocked lanes. crews are expected to be on scene around now. they were expected to be out there around 4:40.

a lane blocked there at highway 35. if commuting to the south bay, everything nice and quiet. a live look at 280 traffic headed out of downtown san jose. mass transit, everything rolling along on time. bart has their trains running on time. caltrans reporting no delay. remember ccbs our partners. that's your traffic. back up to you. >> thanks so much. raccoons are on a rampage in alameda. a woman and two dogs among those injured, and half a dozen since june. the mercury news reporting the latest happened on liberty avenue near highway street. up to four raccoons got into a home through the doggy door, lashed out at a lab mix. people in the neighborhood say they've seen a steady increase in coons over the past four or five years. >> we get them in the backyard, on a regular basis, almost every night.

sometimes we'll see them in the driveway, in our front yard. they're getting braver and braver all the time. >> a woman says a raccoon approached and bit her leg last month as she walked her dog in washington park. >> the food and drug administration is warning parents about a certain brand of liquid cough capsules that look like candy. if ingested by young children, they can cause serious second quarters or even death. the brand is tefalon, only approved for patients older than the age of ten. parents should keep the cap souls in child proof containers. >> children drinking less alcohol, but the bad news is they're smoking more pot. you have to go back to the 80s to find as much daily marijuana use. a new study finds 6% of high school seniors smoke pot every day. >> see what you have to look forward to, juliet. >> i've already done high school. >> no. your kids. that's up 5% from last year. some researchers blame the shift on the growing national

discussions on legalizing pot. >> marijuana is not the only green leafy substance making news. a lawmaker determined to out law a plant called sal via. it all began with a video of a disney star that's gone viral. >> you can see miley cyrus gracing the red carpet. now you can reportedly see her thanks to tmz all over the internet smoking a bong of sal via, a plant that contains a potent chemical. at one point, the hannah montana star giggles uncontrollably. it causes intense hallucinations. >> a lot of people experience an out of body kind of experience. some people claim they meet other beings from another dementia. >> reporter: it is ill -- legal to sell to adults, but doesn't mean it's safe to use.

in a recent study, kathy denly found sal via was the number- one ingredient sold online as an alternative to illegal drugs. the problem, kids may think, since it becomes to a plant, it's safe. >> as a youth, someone experiencing with drugs, it's not knowing how much is going to be the right amount to you. it depresses the central nervous system. some kids may make the mistake of getting behind the wheel. >> you definitely don't feel like you're in your body for a few moments. so being in a vehicle in your body would be a really, really bad idea. >> now with a role model like cyrus, taking a hit for all kids to see, one california lawmaker wants to ban sal via in the state, accusing cyrus of setting a bad example. cbs5, health watch. >> and dr. denly is also concerned if young people mix

sal via with other drugs or alcohol. the substance acts the central nervous system and could make people stop breathing. dramatic video of a florida gunman opening fire inside a school board meeting, and this morning we'll tell you what police say sent him over the edge. >> round the clock construction work going on today in the bay bridge tower. why caltrans doesn't want you to pay attention coming up ,,,,

today, we gather to recognize the selfless decision of one of the most influential women of our time. the woman who, after having one too many drinks, chose not to drive home buzzed. here today to honor rachel is the family whose lives she spared.

your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. caption colorado, l.l.c. the new bay bridge taking shape. this morning, millions of pounds of steel are being hoisted into place. the warning for commuters. i was on the waiting list for three years for my daughter to get into this school. >> they fought to get in. now they may be shut out. which schools are on the chopping block for mount diablo. good morning, everyone. it is wednesday, december 15. i'm sydnie kohara. >> i'm juliette goodrich. time now about 5:00. we have some clouds and fog. we are going to get a quick look at traffic and weather. and here's tracy. >> good morning. clouds and fog on tap for the rs