a trip of a lifetime cut short. tonight, a california couple is being held against their will. good evening and thanks for joining us on this friday. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. we begin with a story still developing. terror on the high seas for a california couple taken hostage by somali pirates. jean and scott adam from orange county had been sailing their

boat around the world for seven years delivering bibles to churches in new zealand and other parts. 240 nautical miles over the coast of oman. they were headed for oman. the home port is in marina del rey in southern california. >> it's clearly a ransom case. and i don't know how they're going to get out of it. very, very scary. >> in those waters, you're not that well protected. so i'm a little surprised that they would even put themselves in that position. >> it is true pirates are becoming more of a problem in indian waters. 28 somali pirates captured by the indian coast guard a little more than a week ago. the pirates between the ages of 16 and 37 were captured using a thai fishing vessel as the

mother ship. since the arrest i understand ya has picked up its patrols off the coast, but sailors say the waters are increasingly treacherous. now to our big story here at home. the bay area known for our microclimate, but tonight they all have one thing in common, rain. from the north bay to the south bay, the rain is relentless. you'd better get some umbrellas if you haven't already. we've had so much rain in the last three days that santa clara county's water district tells us they're at capacity. 96%. and visona at 103%. good news for us here in the bay arth wh atite wer tables and especially for those in ski country in terms of business and recreation. >> we've team coverage, meteorologist jeff ranierei. let's begin with richard sharp for us in snow in tahoe. >> reporter: good evening. take a look at all of this snow, feet of snow. and this is why so many thousands of travelers are

coming up here from the bay area from sacramento to get some of this powder. but on the interstate, they weren't going very fast. one of the busiest interstates in the nation came to a standstill just as people were starting their holiday weekend. this backup started early. >> i feel, like, trapped this the car. >> reporter: i-8 # tu0 turned i party spot and drivers snapping pictures of their family on the freeway. the standstills drag on into the evening hours. >> no stranger to snowstorms. have you ever been in anything like this? >> not like this, no. >> reporter: this driver was running out of gas. others, food. what are you doing to conserve? >> just turn the vehicle off. i mean, it's warm enough where you don't have to worry about heat. >> reporter: have you ever been stopped this long? >> no. >> reporter: photographic traff moving again. at some point the traffic backed up for more than five miles on

interstate 80. >> at the moment it's very wet. >> reporter: even when it opened back up, most drivers moving at a snail's pace. the chp says that's okay with them. >> it's nighttime. ski resorts are not open. there's no reason to be in a rush. >> reporter: it's all this snow that caused many spinouts. caltrans actually shut the freeway down, then let the traffic back through. it happened several times throughout the evening. if you are headed this way from the bay area, be aware. it could double the time it normally takes to get up to the ski resort if not triple that time. in the sierra, blue canyon, richard sharp, nbc bay area news. irch check this out. this photo sent to us tonight. sheriff's deputies forced to turn drivers around because of poor road conditions. so what do we have? snow, hail, pounding rain. is there anything else?

do we dare ask? let's bring in our chief meteorologist, jeff ranieri. >> gusts anywhere from 20 to 40 miles per hour. look at these numbers right now, unbelieverab unbelievab unbelievable. san francisco at 39. that's very rare. 40 in concord. 42 in fairfield. 40 in livermore. six six to seven more hours of cooling to go. this is no doubt the coldest air of the year. you can look at the rainfall we've had over the past five days. we have seen more rain this week than we had for all of january and the beginning half of february. it hasn't been this wet since december at this point. so looking at cold rain continuing here across the north bay from san francisco to santa rosa also to fairfield. it's from the same storm we had yesterday. it's just been so slow to move to the south that we've continued to see this influx of moisture also here. a moderate cold rain from mountain view to san jose.

also down into los gatos. and that low snow. then right up here into the east bay, some rain/snow mix as temperatures are in the 40s in the lower valley elevations. and then up towards the sierra, we just saw, of course, richard sharp there with all of that cold air. and we're still finding it back here across our east bay locations. marsh creek road and north gate road, look for rain/snow mix over the next 15 to 20 minutes. a winter storm warning in effect. i'll tell you the best time to head up this weekend and when conditions improve so much so that we could have some sunshine. that's coming up. >> sunshine. amazing. thank you, jeff. see you in a few minutes. you've heard of dining in the dark. how about shopping in the dark? this video just in. the power went out at this safeway. that didn't stop customers. a couple of backup generators are keeping the store open.

but the ice cream in the freezer is starting to melt. >> i came for bagel dogs. i can't get to them because they're in the frozen section. it's so dark you can't see. i'm surprised the registers are running. >> the registers are running. pg&e says about two dozen customers are without power. they expect power to be restored around 1:00 a.m. the roommate, he's the suspect tonight in a nob hill murder in san francisco. police now believe this 24-year-old killed his roommate, jeff baker. the 67-year-old artist baker was found brutally beaten and stabbed in his apartment on february 11th. now police say that physical evidence at the scene links him to the murder. ketsmeyer is being held in marin county jail on an unrelated charge. he is expected to return to san francisco within a week to face murder charges. not a politician or lobbyist, just a concerned mother. and she's making a difference on capitol hill. a bay area mom was concerned for

her child's safety on airplanes. so she spoke up. and now her voice is being heard this washington. nbc's jean elie is following the story at sfo. >> it has been. it's kind of consumed me. and that's been a little difficult because i'm running a business. and i have a family of four children and a husband. >> reporter: melissa bradley is obsessed with child safety seats on airplanes. in the last two months, two flight crews stopped her from buckling her baby, sunshine, into a seat she paid for. one airline kicked her entire family off the plane because the safety seat didn't fit. even though faa regulations clearly state if a passenger buys a seat for an infant carrier, they must be accommodated. in both cases the airline said they made a mistake. >> oh, we made a mistake. our flight crew was uneducated. but really, i don't think that that that's an excuse. >> reporter: the bradleys buy a set for sunshine because they

don't believe holding a baby is safe. bradley filed complaints with the faa and reached out to the ntsb. the more she shared her story, the more moms sent her e-mails detailing the same problem. >> this is definitely not a very, you know, rare occurrence. this happens a lot. it just goes unreported. or it gets reported to the airline, even the ceos, and they're not doing anything about it. >> reporter: now senator barbara boxer is. she added an amendment to her faa reauthorization act. it's called no child left unbuckled. >> i cried tears of joy because i was so grateful. >> reporter: the amendment requires airlines to post information about what size safety seats fit on each aircraft. while it doesn't guarantee parents can now fly worry free, bradley says it's a big step in the right direction. the bill passed the senate and now moves on to the house. the faa is still investigating

two complaints filed by bradley. and if the airlines are found to be at fault, they could be fined. reporting at sfo, jean elie, bay area news. well, is it a case of murder or madness? >> you just can't explain, you know, the physical evidence. >> accusations of mental illness, sex crimes, and the priesthood. tonight, a south bay family demanding answers. and talk about a headache. the man who had no idea he had this stuck in his brain. how is it even possible? we'll explain. and what really happened at the high-tech summit with president obama last night? next, the first comment from one of the silicon valley heavyweights sitting at the table. and good sievening, i'm chi meteorologist jeff ranieri. plenty of 30s on the board, even including san francisco. you're going to want to bundle up tonight. of course, cold air up across the tahoe region. we're going to have your full ski report and when some of the best weather will be on this

extended we ekend. et'l ll you know, oh, yes, when the sun returns in just a minute. l

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president obama took off from sfo this morning but only after that most dynamic dinner party in silicon valley history. so what exactly was discussed at the dinner table last night? 12 high-profile guests but only 1 is speaking about it, and he's speaking to us. the white house releasing two pictures of this closed-door summit. this is the first one. it's at the woodside home of john doerr. you know the names, steve jobs, eric schmidt and larry ellison. there's also a candid shot of mr. obama and facebook co-founder mark zuckerberg. he swapped out his usual hoodie for a sport coat. tonight, the only guest, though, breaking the silence is former politician and south bay venture capitalist steve wesley. >> the dinner was a private exchange, as you know. but i think what comes through loud and clear is that this president is 100% focused on creating jobs and winning the battle for the future. and i think everybody in that room and frankly most of the

people in the country are impressed with how conversant he is on business issues. >> wesley especially approves of the president's plans to invest in research and development. tonight, we go in depth into a south bay mystery mired with sex, deception and ultimately death. what caused a jesuit priest to lead to his death in downtown seven years ago, or did he really jump? what is another link to a priest, one accused of sexual conduct? our garvin thomas investigates. >> reporter: there is barely a mention of it. in the may 20th, 2004, edition of the "san jose mercury news." just two paragraphs about the body of a priest found the day before. little mention because news organizations try not to give too much attention to what appear to be suicides. indeed within a day, the medical

examiner confirmed it. father james had jumped to his death from the sixth floor of the garage. >> the bible was found right by that left lamp post. >> reporter: but what took the coroner less than 24 hours to decide is something still questioned. seven years later by the dead man's family. >> you just can't explain, you know, the physical evidence. >> reporter: john is father james's brother. he was a jesuit for more than 37 years, serving more than two decades as a missionary in asia. but in 1995, he suffered a breakdown. brought back to the united states, he was ultimately placed here. the st. bernard jesuit center. normally a home for older or ill or priests in transition, sacred heart housed another group he soon discovered. jesuits accused of sexual misconduct. >> that's correct and he wanted to actually leave. >> reporter: ray is an attorney

hired by the family to sue the jesuit order over his death. the suit claims when the father protested the presence of the accused priests, he was labeled a troublemaker, a possible whistleblow whistleblower. it claims the father was even sexually assaulted himself at sa heart,nhe fdceo t remain in the same community with his alleged attacker. >> humiliated. everything that he ever believed in in his life was torpedoed and disacceptable bes dissembelled. >> reporter: all those things created such a hostile environment, that's what led the father to take his own life. the church eventually settled the case. the family's attorney saying they paid out more than $1 million. the jesuits declined to talk about the case, but others come to their defense saying the father's history of mental illness, indeed a previous

suicide attempt, indicate just how troubled a person he was to begin with. but the end of the lawsuit was not the end of the story. >> after the lawsuit is settled, then, you know, further information comes about. >> reporter: investigators hired by the family came up with evidence they say was inconsistent with suicide. no note. winds to his face that went explained by the fall. the fact a witness saw him falling but never reported seeing him jump. finally the family claims a police investigation that was rushed and in complete. >> they didn't do really any investigating on it. they never called the crime scene unit. >> reporter: and the family contends they didn't interview one person in particular. father gerald lindner. he's in the news these days because a man who accuses him of molesting him as a boy allegedly assaulted him at sacred heart last year. lindner, it turns out, was also the man who drove the father

downtown the day of his death. the last member of the jesuit order to see him alive. >> police ought to ask father lindner about that day, the day of my brother's death. >> but that right now seems unlikely. i talked at length with the san jose police department about their investigation, and they say it was by the book for an apparent suicide. they say if the police department had uncovered any sign of foul play, his death would have been investigates as a homicide, but no such evidence ever came to light. they consider his case with no plans to reopen. here's a look at something we're working on for monday. different cities, different rules. many of us have moved our car o to, just knowing the signs won't tell you. what you need to know. especially monday it is

still going to be raining. so you don't want to get that ticket when you're in the rain. >> that's right. i have to apologize. i was yelling earlier in the newsroom kind of loud. i was getting excited because some of the low snow that's getting reported. i'm sorry, guys. >> it's a weather-related yell, it's okay. >> i know, but i know how distracting that can be. hey, guys, low snow! staying in the 40s, where we should be for overnight lows. temperatures 15 degrees off the mark. and the bay area colder than today. washington, 76. new york city, 67 and philadelphia also at 67. we've got snow developing near los gatos. it is unlikely we may see snow flurries. mt. hamilton getting snow and rain into hsan jose.

in the 680 corridor. also from marsh creek ready, may there also. berkeley hills, snow mixing on down with these temperatures that are currently in the 30s. if you have pictures, you want to send them in, it's a rain/snow mix. no doubt the snow happening here. winter storm warning in effect through 10:00 tomorrow morning. obviously it is cold out there with plenty of 30s to start. as we head throughout tomorrow, still staying in the 40s for daytime highs. and our chance of rain, it's going to linger for saturday. we're not going to see this cold air and the chance of rain get out of here completely until sunday. that's when we'll actually have sunshine coming back out. that's going to be our saturday and sunday.

and even some warming up. plenty of 30s for the south bay and also for the east bay. and that low snow, if you have, you know, a little bit of rain/snow mix, it's because these cold pockets are really dropping down that snow level in isolated areas. so it's going to be quite a morning for you. you may wake up with snow flurries back here in the east bay and continually there in the berkeley hills. plenty of 40s as we head inland. 47 in concord. 45 in napa. and also temperatures in the north bay in the mid to upper 40s. those are daytime highs. presidents day on monday. temperatures cold and in the 40s. by sunday, a chance of showers each and every day.

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doctors in china are still marveling at a man with a knife in his head. >> how about this. a c.a.t. scan image shows the patient's amazing story. a four-inch knife blade embedded in his brain. the 30-year-old patient said hey, doc, i've got a lot of headaches. so the surgeons asked how in the world did this happen?

he answered he had been mugged four years ago. doctors say it makes sense because when they successfully removed the blade today, they said it started to rest inside. >> oh, that sounds so gross. >> but everything's okay for now. >> i'm never going to complain about a headache again. the star gi star arriving for duty. our spring coverage training is next.

well, everyone has made it to the desert as the giants held its first full-squad session today in scottsdale. and one of the happiest guys there, new giant, miguel tejada made his entrance for the first time in giants gear. they signed him to a one-year deal this off-season. time with three different teams since his departure from the a's in 2003 and says he's most happy about being on a championship-caliber team. first full-squad practice for the club and the second spring training for a couple guys. catcher buster posey and pitcher

madison baumgartner. both have pressure not to fall into that sophomore slump. especially posey, tagged as one of the big cats in the lineup. >> if you can put your head down tonight and say that you did everything possible to have success, then that's really all you can do. >> just got to keep making adjustments to what the hitters are doing. they're going to make adjustments to you. we've got to make adjustments to them. that's the way it's going to be. meanwhile, over at a's camp, the biggest off-season edition hideki hat sue we has arrived but has yet to take the field. eernl he'll do so this weekend. one topic of situation, the a's think they have the bats and pitching staff to beat a team that can win a pendant without having to name a bunch of stars. >> you know, they had a dredg--

able to keep going. we play them six times and looking forward to it. nba all-star festivities. landry fields playing in the all-star game. these guys stole the show. john wall with the bounce pass. and blake griffin takes it alley-oop style and throws down the reverse dunk. did that really just happen? later wall with the pass. then takes the pass off the backboa backboard. he was the mchlvp with 22 assis. the celebrity game was entertaining. no doubt the main attraction was this guy, justin bieber. the biebs has some game. eight points, four assists. i don't know about it. i saw the t-shirt on your tesde. s

this is why jeff was yelling. it was snowing in the berkeley hills. and this little girl's super

excited about it. a picture a viewer just tweeted us. isn't that cute? >> i was doing the same thing back in the winter center as i was yelling across the studio. >> more of this tonight? >> yeah, there's a chance of snow in the east bay and near los gatos. >> so i'll be doing that in the morning. >> facebook me your picture. >> the berkeley hills tonight. have a great weekend. be safe on the roadways. our next newscast is tomorrow morning. >> "jay leno" is next. bye-bye.