. >>> shane bauer and josh fattal were arrested with sarah shourd in july of 2009 near the i raq/iran border. shourd was recently relessed. tonight's fund-raiser will feature readings by well-known authors in san francisco. comedian nato green, will also make an appearance. you will find a link to k tvu.com. under "web links." >>> facebook is introducing a major overhaul for user profile pages. the new look aterms to organization a jumbled connection of elements into one window. another feature will show a history of your relationship with any of your facebook friends. some members began seeing the changes yesterday and a poll shows just 29% said they loved it. the new design will be available for everyone by early next year. >>> google has entered the electric book business. it opened its ebook site t oday. they are in direct competition of amazon.com, sellers of the kindle electronic reader. they will work on the books and they them brand-new books and a portion of the books google has scabbed in its library. >>> a wayward sea lion remains under watch. >>> right now, a wayward sea l

campaigning for the freedom of her fianci shane bauer and josh fat olympic who are holding them captive in iran. >> this song is put out there with the intention and hope that the certainty that i feel that they will be with us again and that they will be with us again soon. >> reporter: this music may be shourd's protest song but one song softly. [ singing ]. . >> reporter: we asked alsandra rom to watch and tell us about its her effectiveness. >> i think as a device it's effective because it's on youtube. [ singing ]. . >> reporter: surprisingly many of the students we talked with are unfamiliar with the story of the three hikers who were taken prisoners by iranian border guards in 2009. shourd was released after 13 months. the music video is released to coincide with the 17th month they've been held in custody. . [ singing ]. >> reporter: the video is called a piece of time, that's p-i-e-c-e. we attempted to call shourd family members today but had no response. >>> people who devote their time and their talents to a.i.d.s. research and education gathered today for world a.i.d.s. day

its release coincides with the start of month 17 in captivity for shane bauer and josh pattal. she wrote the song during her 410 days in prison. she was released in september on humanitarian ground. if you'd like to hear the entire song, we have a link on abc7news.com. >> oakland has announced a new 39,000 seat stadium for the oakland a's ballpark. it would be near jack london square in oakland. what should be study as part of an environmental impact report. the project will include a stadium, 18,000 square feet of retail space and 700 condos. oakland's planning commission president is taking part in a private effort to keep the a's from leaving oakland. the team owner says he wants to move to san jose. >> the state's high speed rail authority is set to vote tomorrow on spending more than $4 billion to build the project's first phase between two tiny central california towns. officials have recommended the first tracks being built between board done south of madeira and cork land. dennis card dough sa says the plan is a gross misuse of taxpayer money. the $43 billion project is

also the story with sarah, the woman who had lesson prisoner with shane bauer and josh fattal. >> it was the same story author katie saw two months ago. >> i actually am -- don't know sarah personally but i heard her on npr. and she did such a great job of talking about her story and her plight that i decided to get involved and organize this event. >> the event of free all three was a fund-raiser to bring other bay area best selling authors and friends together to help support and raise funds to pay ongoing legal fees for the families of the three imprisoned. >> the toll this has taken on our families is real. it's something that i was protected from when i was in prison, they didn't want us to know about it and as soon as i got out it's one of the most difficult things for me to see. >> the event was held at the verdi club in san francisco. >> everyone i know has donated something. i've donated my gardening services. this is a bowl from a friend's mom. we're excited to do anything we can to bring home these two innocent people. >> local author andrew sean greer who entained the cro

shane bauer and josh fattal and sarah shourd were arrested last year. she was released in september for health reasons. the oakland tribune reports their families are in need of financial help because of legal fees, travel expenses and other needs. family members lost or quit their jobs as they dedicate the themselves to fighting for the freedom of their loved ones. >> you can put your umbrellas away for the day. keep them handy though, right? >> turned the lights off on the rain for a while. could be ace quickly as wednesday. snow from the sierra, too. and tae stray shower is possible. why that cloud there may drop one of those showers. >> ahead, a lawsuit against wal-mart that began in the bay area heads to the supreme court now. >> we'll tell you about the largest tidal wetland respiration project in the south bay. ♪ >>> the supreme court has agreedto consider whether a class action discrimination lawsuit against wal-mart can go forward. it's the biggest employment discrimination lawsuit in u.s. history. the suit claims wal-mart paid female employs

its release coincides with the start of month 17 in captivity for shane bauer and josh pattal she wrote the song during her 410 days in prison. she was released in september on humanitarianground. if you'd like to hear the entire song, we have a link on abc7news.com. >> oland has announced a new 39,000 seat stadium for the oakland a's ballpark. it would be near jack london square in oakland. what should be study as part of an environmental impact report. the project will include a stadium, 18,000 square feet of retail space and 700 condos. oakland's planning commission president is taking part in a private effort to keep the a's from leaving oakland. the team owner says he wants to move to san jose. >> the state's high speed rail authority is set to vote tomorrow on spending more than $4 billion to build the project's first phase between two tiny central california towns. officials have recommended the first tracks being built between board done south of madei and cork land. dennis card dough sa says the plan is a gross misuse of taxpayer money. the $43 billion project is supposed to ev

sarah shourd who was freed in september said the campaign for shane bauer and josh fattal's freedom has run up expensive legal fees and travel costs. the three hikers were arrested when they crossed into the iranian border. iran accuses them of spying. the authors will give readings at the verde club. it's expected to run about two hours and there is a $20 donation at the door. >>> 4:37. clock just change and keeping you up to date on that as well as a new accident off of the split. you are heading up through concord. reports of an accident and everything is out of lanes, but in the last few minutes, speed indicators on highway 4. the rain affects the sensors. it looks like everything i'm getting shows you should have no major slowing and we will continue to follow that and cross reference all that was data. westbound highway 4 through antioch with that 62. you are at the limit and that will slow in about 45 minutes with the rain on the roadways. you want to be careful as well as the wind. there has been an overnight wind advisory issued and we have gusty winds. keep that in mind. back

shane bauer and josh fattal and sarah shourd were arrested lst year. she was released in september for health reasons. the oakld tribune report their families are in need of financial help because of legal fees, travel expenses and other needs. family members lost or quit their jobs as they dedicate the themselves to fighting for the freedom of their loved ones. >> you can put your umbrellas away for the day. keep them handy though, right? >> turned the lights off on the rain for a while. could be ace quickly as wednesday. snow from the sierra, too. and tae stra shower is possible. why that cloud there may drop one of those showers. >> ahead, a lawsuit agnst wal-mart that began in the bay area heads to the supreme court now. >> we'll tell you abou the largest tidal wetland respiration project in the sth bay. [ male announcer ] whether u're new to california or you've en grooving here for some time now, you know that value comes in many forms. for some it's a classic car, for others a prossion that lets them givback to the next generation. for many cali

the families of shane bauer and josh fattal have had to pay for legal fees, document translation, travel expenses. the benefit kicks off at 6:30 tonight at the verde club in san francisco's mission district. there is a $20 suggested donation. sarah shourd, the hiker let go in september is expected to attend. >>> topping our health watch tonight there are new guidelines to help doctors diagnose and treat food allergies. people with suspected food allergies may need to submit to what's being called an oral food challenge, that means a patient would have to eat food in the doctor's office to help diagnose an al letter jim. . the new guidelines specifically want to rule out diagnosing allergies through the skin prick or blood test which often doesn't indicate if a patient has an allergy to that food the guidelines say there is no benefit for pregnant women to avoid certain foods in hopes of preventing allergies in their kids. >>> even though the practice of feeding a bay which with another woman's breast milk, the wet nurse thought is taboo. but now it is hitting a new wave again thanks to f

her ordeal began in july 2009, when shourd says she was hiking with her fiance, shane bauer, and their friend josh fattal, in kurdistan, a peaceful region in northern iraq. >> we had absolutely no indication that we were near a border. >> reporter: but iranian authorities say they crossed the border into iranian territory, and arrested the three americans, accusing them of being spies. shourd was held in a 12x10 foot cell in solitary confinement. she says she sang songs to keep herself and the young men sane. >> our songs were something that really kept our souls alive. >> reporter: shourd spent 410 days in prison before a medical condition led iran to release her on humanitarian grounds. ♪ we walked across >> reporter: now shourd is turning to music once again. this time to keep public attention focused on freeing bauer and fattal. she's released this video of a song she wrote in prison called "piece of time." still as the holidays approach the wait grows more agonizing. >> i remember sitting with shane and josh and we were just certain that we'd be home by christmas last year. it's

her ordeal began in july, 2009, when shourd says she was hiking with her fiance shane bauer and their friend josh fatale in kurdistan, a peaceful region in northern iraq. >> we had absolutely no indication that we were near a border. >> reporter: but iranian authorities say they crossed the border into iranian territory and arrested the three americans accusing them of being spies. shourd was held in a 12" x 10" cell in solitary confinement. she says she sang songs to keep herself and the young men sane. >> our songs were something that really kept our souls alive. >> reporter: shourd spent 410 days in prison before a medical condition led iran to release her on humanitarian grounds. >> ♪ we walked across... >> reporter: now shourd is turning to music once again-- this time to keep public attention focused on freeing bauer and fatale. she's released this video of a song she wrote in prison called "piece of time." still, as the holidays approach, the wait grows more agonizing. >> i remember sitting with shane and josh and we were just certain that we'd be home by christmas last year.

shane bauer, josh fattal and lisa shored were imprisoned last year. their families are in need of financial help because of legal fees, travel expenses and other needs. several family members lost or quit their jobs as they dedicated themselves to fighting for the freedom of their loved ones. >> a bill will make it illegal for anyone to distribute or record images taken from full body scanners at the airport. the measure by senator chuck schumer calls for punishing anyone who misuses full body scan images with up to a year in prison. they could face fines up to $100,000. the security administration says it has safeguards in place so the images can't be stored, transmitted or printed. tsa officials say they're deleted after they're inspected by security screeners. >> it's 4:45. facebook.com users will begin noticing something different today. >> coming up on the abc 7 morning news, the new information your friends will see now on your profile page. >> high stakes in the fight against higher taxes. >>> all right. welcome back. it is almost 4:48 on this

shane bauer and josh fattal were arrested during a hike in july of 2009. shourd was just recently released. comedian nato green will make an an a. >>> 7:47. we're closely watching this colombia, that's where more than 100 people are believed to be missing from a land slide that literally swallowed up dozens of homes. now, those rains and floods have killed at least 170 this year, with at least 12 known to be killed in this latest disaster. the president of colombia says the number of people left h omeless from all of the rain could reach 2 million. >>> an italian fishing boat has found the remains of two champion balloonists who disappeared while flying over the sea. contact with them was lost four days later after they began. >>> if you want to buy a piece of u.s. criminal history, here is your chance for less than $ 70,000. the montana property once owned by unibomber ted kaczynkski is for sell. he's currentlily serving a life sentence for killing three people and injuring others during a 17-year bombing spree. his cabin is not included because it's on d

. ♪ >> sarah shourd, shane bauer and josh fattal were jailed in iran 17 months ago. she wrote the song "peace of time" she was freed for health reasons and promised her two friends she would show the world what it was like in prison. >> and it's like to lose everything and everyone you love and have no idea when you are gonna get it back. >> shourd, bauer and fattal are scheduled to stand trial in february for espionage charges. >>> the scandal of the latest wicki leaks release is heating up. at the very center of storm, secretary of state, hillary clinton. secretary trialed to quell any concerns over the -- tried to quell any concerns over the l eak. >> it will not in any way interfere with diplomacy on our ticket for continuing iortant work. >> in an interview with "time" magazine, the founder wicki leaks said hillary clinton should resign if it's proven that she asked for the gathering of documents. today, robert gates called that statement ridiculous and says american has nothing to fear from wicki leaks. >> we should never be afraid of one guy who popped down $3

all the money will be used to win the freedom of short's fiance shane bauer and josh fattal. >>> wikileaks was on the defensive on several fronts. it's fugitive founder we targeted by a european arrest warrant. 39-year-old julian assange is suspected of rape in sweden. no official charges have been brought against him. his lawyers are accusing swedish officials of persecuting him instead of prostitute hg ecutin? >> i have never done anything unconsensual in my private life or anywhere else. >> amazon.com kicked the whistle blower off yesterday. >> lingering concern over another crisis in the gulf is prompting the obama administration to extend the drilling ban for at least seven more years. reporter jay gray has a closer look at where and why the white house is blocking the process and what it could mean for the gulf coast, still struggling after the bp spill. >> while government scientists say most of the oil from the deep water horizon spill is no longer in the gulf waters. these searing images of wildlife and wet lands choked off by the crude are still fresh in the minds of many, includ

shane bauer, josh fattal and lisa shored were arrested while hiking near the iran/iraq border. their families are in need of financial help because of legal fees, travel expenses and other needs. several family members quit their jobs as they dedicated themselves fighting for freedom of their loved ones. >> no deal to google. the business report straight ahead. >> facebook.com users will notice something different today. the new information your friends will see on your profile page. >> stanford gets a prestigious bowl invitation. next why the cardinals will start out the new year in florida. 4444444444444444444444 >>> all right. welcome back. time for your california forecast at 5:47. start with live doppler 7 hd. the rain moving through the central valley and the snow in the sierra where we have a winter weather advisory until 7:00 this morning. expecting the snow to taper off considerably after that time frame. until you get to that watch out. 43 tahoe, 53 yosemite. low to mid-60s through chico, fresno. a little sunshine, mid to upper 60s san diego, and palm springs. >> than

. >> reporter: since her release from prison she is campaigning for the freedom of her fiance shane bauer and friend joshua fattal. >> this song is putting out there the intention and the hope and the certainty that i feel that they will be with us again and that they will be with us again soon. >> reporter: this music may be her protest song but one sung very softly. ♪[ music ] >> reporter: we asked this woman to watch and tell us what she thought. >> i think as a device it is actually pretty effective because it is on youtube and kids use youtube. >> reporter: surprisingly many of the students we talked with here are unfamiliar with the story of the three hikers who were taken prisoner by iranian border guards in july of 2009. she was released after 13 months. >> reporter: you can find that video on youtube. search for "a peace of time." we did attempt to contact shur and her family members with e- mails and phone calls. none were return. don knapp, cbs5. >>> creating understanding between afghans an americans by opening the door to freedom of the press. that's the goal of a new journ

its release coincides with the start of month 17 in captivity for shane bauer and josh fatale. if you would like to hear the entire song we have a link on abc7.com. click on see it on tv and it is there for you. >>> there is an online campaign called it gets better which helps young gay people deal with their sexuality. here in san francisco the cast of the newly arrived shrek the musical are among those spreading the word no matter how bad it may seem things do in fact get better. here is lyanne melendez. >> reporter: plays papa bear in shrek the musical now in san francisco. off stage he has a new role that reaches out to young teens who are gay. >> i don't know what impact my story will have but if it reaches just one person and helps them to feel like they have somebody who has been through a similar experience and understands what it is that they are going through. ♪ >> reporter: this song talks about being proud of who you are even if you are different. the entire cast has joined the it gets better campaign on you tube where celebrities and s of hope for gay, lesbian an

shane bauer and josh fatale were arrested near the iraq- iran border. it will include readings by daniel handler and girls in trucks author katie crouch, set to start at 7:30 tonight at the verde club on mariposa street. >>> alameda county sheriff's investigators say a parolee in intensive care tonight. he is suffered -- he suffered a serious injury after crashing a stolen car into one police car and then another. it happened near grand and b street in hayward. the deputies began chasing the man after they figured out the honda civic he was in had been stolen from the castro valley bart station and that he slammed it into a sheriff's patrol car that dried to block him in a driveway. then a short distance away he crashed into a bart police car not involved in the chase. the 38-year-old bart officer in that car has minor injuries and was hospitalized overnight for observation. >>> a massive fire ripped through a large vacant building in walnut creek today. flames engulfed the 9000 square foot structure on oak grove road and sent sparks billowing into the

money from the sales will be used for the expenses to free shane bauer and josh fattal. it was releasinged to coincide with the 17 months of the men's imprisonment. >>> 5:13. a possible conflict of interest in the prop 8 court battle. why some are pushing for one of the judges to step down. >> i'm beyond disappointed. i'm disgusted. >> it's a chemical known to cause cancer. so why is it being sprayed on strawberry fields near schools? what's being done to keep students safe. >>> and right now, we have 33 bart trains running on time. here's live look near market street in san francisco. this morning, bart is giving away free tickets. we'll have more after the break. ,,,, lightning fast. lightning strong. verizon 4g lte. rule the air on the most advanced 4g network in the world. >>> our forecast for this morning as you hid out the door more clouds as temperatures not as cold this morning. 46 inland, at the bay 40, at the coast 50. so more clouds expected for the morning. more clouds well through the afternoon and there is a chance of showers today. a small chance. 30%. tem

money raised from sales will help pay for expenses to help free shane bauer and josh fattal. the video was released to coincide with the 17 months of i want prisonment. >>> the san francisco woman's dog killed a neighbor and the southern california supreme court appeal was denied. the woman is serving 15 years to life in prison. >>> 6:19. one bay area county is tightening the leash on loose pets. what may happen to all the dogs that get impounded. >>> plus, it's one of the year's most anticipated movies. liam mayclem went to london for the royal premier of the chronicles of narnia. his report is coming up. first, cbs 5 is teaming up with whole foods. we kicked off our "food for bay area families" fundraiser and you can help by dropping non- perishable food items to any whole foods or make a cash donation at the checkout. you can find more information on cbs5.com. tra costa county... if ,,,, people! look at you! texting...blogging... all this technology, but you're still banking like pilgrims! it's time for new school banking, bubbie. interest plus savings at capitalone.com. w

bauer and josh fattal have been held prisoners for 500 days. laura is josh's mother and joins us. thanks for being with us. >> good morning. >> shane's mom cindy was going to be here but she was snowed in in minnesota. both of you got good news this past month. you get calls on thanksgiving. >> yes, we did. cindy and i are soul mates. our sons have been detained for 17 months, so we are very much together. though cindy is not next to me this moment, we are together in this urgent plea to have shane and josh released. we were very relieved to get the phone calls november 27th. >> last time you saw them was may. you made the trip to iran. did you know the call was coming? >> we were hopeful that around thanksgiving we'd get a phone call, yes. >> tell me about the conversation with your son. >> for both of us, it was two separate calls for cindy and shane and myself and josh. in my home, my husband was home, my oldest son alex and sarah was visiting us that weekend. so we all got to tell josh how we were hoping and praying for him to be released a

bauer. >>> a major court truly could affect more than a million women. police it's a popular santa getting the boot from a bay area store. what he told parents that wasn't nice naughty. >> an easy drive across the east bay across the bay bridge toll plaza. the metering lights are off. we'll have a detailed look at your morning commute after the break. save $523! 16 minutes could save you 16%! come on... isn't it time an auto insurer gave it to you straight? that's why you should talk to state farm. but not yet. first, talk to any one of the 40 million drivers who already have state farm. 40 million. yeah, that's more than geico and progressive combined. by a lot. 40 million drivers. more savings. and discounts up to 40%. where else you gonna get discounts like that? call an agent at 1-800-state-farm or go online. (greenery) fruit cake. how are ya? [fruit cake] dry. (greenery) who's the new guy? edible arrangements bouquets, beautiful like flowers, but unforgettably delicious, visit, call, or go to ediblearrangements.com verizon 4g lte. rule the air on th

she says she sang it to her fiance, shane bauer, and their friend, josh fattal, when they were allowed to see each other in the prison courtyard. money raised from sales of the song will be used to pay for efforts to win shane and josh's freedom. >>> western new york is covered in white, as its first major storm of the season blows in. drivers in the buffalo area are coping with some icy roads and white-out conditions from blowing lake-effect snow. at one point it was coming down at 3 inches an hour. wow. up to a foot of snow is expected by tonight. >> this is a time of year when i don't miss living in denver. just right now. >> you're right. >>> here's a look at the rest of your weather. severe thunderstorms clear out from washington, d.c. to new england. but expect showers in northern maine. rain from seattle to portland and san francisco. up to a foot of snow in the northern rockies. about 5 inches in the sierra range. >> 54 in sacramento. 44 in salt lake city. 38 in billings. only 12 degrees in fargo. 22 in minneapolis. 34 in detroit. 40s in the northeast. 60s in new orleans. i do