good evening, and thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. new tonight startling accusations from some of the people on the front line of emergency care. nurses at oakland children's hospital say the hospital leaves them exposed to potentially deadly situations. jodi hernandez has their complaint and also some information on fines that have been levied against the hospital, jodi. >> reporter: big fines, jessica. the hospital is being fined more than $10,000. it's all spelled out in this 21-page citation. the cal osha report points out that the hospital is located in a neighborhood with a history of gang violence. and today nurses we talked to tell us they are truly afraid at times to come to work. >> this place that i love this work and it's a place that i'm scared to work at some nights because i don't feel that my safety is being properly cared for. >> reporter: emergency room nurse anna smith says she's

never felt more scared than last october, when she ran outside oakland children's hospital to help a gunshot victim at the e.r. doorstep. >> because confusion arose, we were stuck out there for longer than we should have been. i'm never going to leave a patient outside that needs my help. that's my job is to take care of the patients first. but to be trapped out there was terrifying. >> reporter: just months earlier, a gunman ran inside the same e.r., taking a nurse hostage. the incident spawned an investigation by cal osha, who determined the hospital's injury prevention program is incomplete and ineffective. cal osha has cited the hospital, fining it more than $10,000. >> the fines by cal osha are subject to appeal and the hospital intends to appeal them. >> reporter: the chief nursing officer says she thinks nurses complaints are really about a contract dispute. she said the hospital already had a new policy in the works. >> we've already done drills, so we essentially rolled out this

new policy in january. we began doing drills and we will be doing more drills. >> reporter: but nurses say they haven't done any drills. with 77 gunshot victims in the past two years, they say something needs to be done fast. >> i would like to see us get some stronger training procedures, some stronger, more clear training procedures that the nurses are drilled on so that when this thing -- when these type of things happen, which they're going to in a trauma center, that we know how to react and we can react safely and do what's best for the patient in a timely manner. >> reporter: now, the hospital president issued this letter in response to the citation. in it he says he is very disappointed about cal osha's, quote, stereotypes about the city of oakland, stereotypes he believes underlie the citation. again, the hospital says it plans to appeal. reporting live in oakland, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, jodi. happening now, police on the scene of a shooting near a high

school in haywood. we're talking about tennison high school. about 5:00 this afternoon gunfire erupted outside of the school. you can see an area cordoned off by police tape. unclear whether anyone was injured, but the school was put in lockdown just a short time ago. this is what we do know at this point. a silver cadillac was spotted leaving the area and someone was seen running from that car. police are now actively searching the area for up to four men suspected to be involved in the shooting. again, at this point we don't know if anyone was injured, but we do know that some shots did ring out late this afternoon. not sure how many people are on campus at this point, but obviously school did let out around 3:00 this afternoon. but the campus still right now with lots of police activity and a lockdown. we'll keep an eye on that scene for you. moving on, the new police chief of the bay area's biggest city has a firm message and a

change of policy. san jose's top cop says racial profiling will not be tolerated. chris moore says it's now a violation for an officer to show biased behavior while speaking with someone who's been pulled over. before, the violation for bias was based on the stop itself. now it includes the officer's interaction with the individual. >> there are a number of unhappy people that i found out about that quite frankly through the course of this recruitment process have surfaced and said they're really unhappy with the police department. that concerns me. >> it's a rebuilding process for his department. the department has been under fire by several community groups saying minority communities were being unjustly targeted by san jose police. the family of a couple with bay area ties killed at the hands of somali pirates is talking about the couple tonight. tracy grant is covering the story. tracy, the family really talked about what may have happened off the somali coast. >> reporter: well, the family is still trying to find out exactly what happened. now, they live here in the bay

area. phyllis mckay is the name of one of those hostages who was killed today. her mother lives her, her niece and a few other relatives. they said that it was her sense of adventure that pushed her to sail around the world, but they were shocked to learn this morning that it all ended in such an abrupt and horrifying way. >> my aunt is a very smart and avid sailor. she was living her dream, sailing around the world for this, now the third year. she enjoyed every port. >> reporter: back in 2008, phyllis mckay and her sailing partner left their hometown of seattle behind and started living their lives on the high seas. nina crossland described her 55-year-old aunt as a beautiful, vivacious woman who lived life to the fullest. unfortunately, the lives of everyone who was traveling on the yacht called quest, mckay, riggel and scott and jean adam

from southern california were cut short. today the pirates shot and killed the entire group. the question many people are asking is how did the yacht end up in such dangerous waters, in an area that has become rife with pirates? >> we don't know. now unfortunately we may never know. >> reporter: the quest had been traveling from india to amman with a group of other boats but somehow got separated and that's what the pirates moved in. crossland said her family had been in constant contact with the navy. when they reached the vessel, they found all four hostages had been shot. crossland was told mckay was still alive at first but mortally wounded and ultimately couldn't be saved. now, crossland says that her aunt would never have gone to that part of the globe without doing her research ahead of time about the potential dangers. they're still hoping to find out more about exactly what led the yacht, the quest, to be right

there. live in san francisco, tracy grant, nbc bay area news. oakland police say they have a suspect in the robberies, recent robberies of five east bay women. each of them attacked after driving home from the safeway supermarket in the lincoln square shopping center just off of highway 13. luckily none of them was hurt, but they did lose their purses, their cell phones and of course some money. opd says the investigation is not over and of course we'll continue to follow it. an emotional message tonight from a distraught mother. her teenage daughter, struck by a car and dragged almost 2,000 feet. it happened a couple of weeks ago in san jose. the driver fled the scene. tonight the victim's mother is breaking her silence. dami damien tan trujillo is at the s of the crime where police are still searching for that driver and this mother searching for justice. damien, i know you spoke with the mother today. i'm guessing that was a painful interview. >> reporter: it really was. not a dry eye when we were speaking this morning. you can still see the skid marks

here at the scene and tonight is erica luna's 19th birthday. she remains at a local hospital while her mother urges the driver to turn himself in. erica luna's mother shared these pictures with us. this one was taken monday. today leticia luna also shared the few words she wrote on a birthday card for her only daughter. >> what i wrote is god in is control, i love you mija, happy 19th birthday and i'm sorry for everything. love mom. >> reporter: erica luna is off the respirator but remains in intensive care. a car struck her early sunday morning at this intersection. he dragged her for 2,000 feet. police released this sketch and say the driver was in a gray or silver minivan or suv. >> it's hard to explain in words. it's like our life has just been put on hold. >> reporter: how is it a home?

>> it's sad. it's very sad, you know. it's really sad without her. >> reporter: erica is 19 years old today. she has balloons in her room, and there will be cake in the evening. even with all the pain the driver has caused the family, leticia luna says she doesn't hold a grudge. >> there is room in my heart to forgive that person. i pray that he prays for forgiveness from god. you know, if he's out there, he's going to do it to somebody else's child. if you catch him, it's not going to replace what he's done to us or what he's done to erica, but if we could avoid another family to go through what we're going through, that would be my main -- my main concern right now. >> reporter: the family reward is still at $5,000. they have opened up a trust fund with the san jose police officers association to help pay

for some of the medical bills. the family still does not know if erica will ever walk again, but her mom says she has a strong belief that she will see her daughter walking. we should also mention that erica will soon be transferred over to valley medical center for extensive skin graft treatment. we're live in san jose, i'm damian trujillo, nbc bay area news. >> an emotional journey for that family. in the east bay it was back to school today with some heavy hearts. loss lomas high school is trying to cope with the death of two classmates. 16-year-old matthew miller and 17-year-old gavin powell drowned in a rafting accident on saturday. they were best friends. marla tellez shows us the difficult day on this campus. >> they were -- they were great people. they were so giving. they were just great. >> reporter: travis had been friend with matt miller and gavin powell since elementary school. like most who knew the best friend duo atl las lomas high

school, he was shocked. >> at first we thought it was a joke but then we checked the news and we were like, whoa, they're actually gone. >> reporter: there was no joking or many smiles among students at the tight-knit high school this morning but several grief counselors and at least one psychologist are on hand and will be there throughout the week. >> we are first and foremost making sure that our students have a place to go. >> reporter: principal matt campbell says the boys, both juniors, were bright, respectful and articulate with amazing futures. he opened the school day with an announcement over the intercom. >> what i told the students is that it's important for the knight family to come together and to support one another. it's important to us to be together. >> reporter: together just at matt and gavin always were. >> yeah, i never saw them without each other really in the halls. >> reporter: in walnut creek,

marla tellez, nbc bay area news. a memorial is growing at the site. you can see some video here where the teenagers launched their raft on saturday near the high school. friends are leaving flowers and posting their thoughts. much of the creek is fenced off and is not meant to be accessed by the public. tomorrow night there's a candlelight vigil in walnut creek at the sutherland drive entrance of the shell ridge open space. it's an area where the two young men enjoyed hiking. the vigil begins at 6:00. well, still ahead tonight, black migration out of the golden state. we'll show you why 800 african-americans set sail from san francisco in search of freedom. and where they found it. also the budget balttle in washington gets ugly and we're about to take the hit here in california. larry gersten is joining uro w r the program that say could lose the most money. and good evening, i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. beautiful today but big changes right around the corner. a lot of 50s from the north bay back into the east bay and it's

going to get cold in the south bay with temperatures in the upper 30s and low 40s tonight. we are not only going to talk about rain returning, but very low snow across the bay .ar i'll let you know when the best chance to see snow will be coming up.

california draws people from around the world who are searching for a better life, and yet some americans in search of freedom had to leave the state to find it. nbc's chris sanchez tells us the story of an african-american migration that took them away from the bay area. >> reporter: in the thousands of books at the san francisco public library, a chapter on california you may not know. >> a group of 800 african-americans left california from san francisco. >> reporter: that was in the 1850s, a time when california was a free state and yet african-americans were hardly free. california law prevented them from defending themselves in court or from testifying against

wrong doers who were white. although they paid poll taxes, thebd not vote. >> california was really becoming very repressive. it was a free state but wasn't sure how to enact that. >> reporter: at the same time the governor of british columbia of african descent himself put out an invitation to african-american settlers. those 800 african-americans boarded a ship in san francisco for salt spring island, a diverse community as you can see in the faces of the schoolchildr schoolchildren. a businessman and later a member of the senate organized the migration which also included sylvia stark, a wife and mother whose roots still extend to the bay area. >> they want cheap labor but they want people to come work the land, mine, whatever, to build up the infrastructure. what's wrong with that, a win-win. >> reporter: the promises of cheap land and voting rights were not powerful enough to keep them there forever. things were changing here at home and also home is always home. >> i think it was said that this

was our home. we are americans. and this is where we belong. so even though we might leave, this is where we should be. so they came back to start life here in this land. >> reporter: but not before leaving their mark in the history books. in san francisco, kris sanchez, nbc bay area news. >> you can check out the exhibit on the black migration to canada at san francisco's main library through may. sfpl.org is the website. well, two events may way heavily on california in the weeks to come. one of them has to do with money and the other has to do with power. let's ask nbc bay area's political analyst larry gersten for some clarity. first let's talk about the $60 billion in cuts made by the house of representatives. a lot of it has to go to public radio and nutrition services for kids, but let's talk about the impact here in california. >> a lot of federal programs will be affected, but we're talking about states that will be affected too. if the senate goes along, we're

talking about $1.6 billion that would be denied various programs in california. that's $1.6 billion. where's it going to go? well, $100 million or so for universities. $125 million k through 12. programs for transportation, healthy kids, all that kind of stuff. believe you me, when a state is $25 billion in the red already, the last thing you need is -- >> and those are the programs that are very much under stress as it is. >> that's right. these are the ones that the legislature and governor have been chopping, chopping, choppinging until there's not much less. >> is there an up side? >> yes, if the senate goes along and if the president goes along and those are two of the biggest ifs you'll ever see, you're talking about reducing the national deficit by $60 billion. that's not exactly chump change. >> senate democrats have said they want to talk to the republicans to see if they can get an extension and try to negotiate. is it too late for that or what do you think is going to happen? and there's all this talk about is the government going to collapse because of this.

>> the key to this is paul ryan, the chairman of the budget committee. as ryan goes, so will go the committee and republicans in the house. ryan is talking perhaps about a two-week extension. we're talking about the national debt ceiling which ties into all this. if in fact he sees the democrats willing to play ball on some level. >> let's turn your attention now to the situation that we've seen unfolding in wisconsin and now we're seeing that spread to other states like ohio where we basically have seen the statehouse there just converged on by unions. the republican governor there will not back down. the democrats in that state have fled because they don't want to deal with this. and this has to do with employee pensions and contributions and health benefits. we've seen a lot of solidarity. are we going to see something like that bleed over to california, given our budget deficit and all this contrition that there's been, back and forth over our own benefits here for state workers? >> yes and no. here's the yes part. we're going to see the unions have to squeeze here. the governor has already been negotiating with them and they

already made concessions last year. you'll see the big six state worker unions concede again. probably salary freezes, perhaps more contributions to health insurance policies. maybe even a bit more retirement. you won't see them going to undefined pensions as some states are talking about. most of all, you're not going to see the decertification effort. the idea of saying unions don't count, collective bargaining is out as you are seeing right now in wisconsin, indiana and ohio. that won't happen for one reason. unions are 18% of the workforce here, 12% nationally. >> and unions really backed jerry brown during his election as well. one quick question, larry, before you go. one of the things we saw here was teachers here in california saying they were going to be -- stand by what was happening with their union members or comrades over in wisconsin. is there any impact to education that this could have with these teachers participating as well? >> well, certainly here if the teachers get involved with this whole thing, you'll see a good deal of people saying why should we keep our jobs?

as it is a lot of them are leaving because their salaries are being eaten away with, they're paying more into pensions and health insurance. on the other hand, let's be honest. we have the need for fewer teachers as long as we keep lopping away at these programs. >> that may well happen if the initiative doesn't get on the june ballot. >> yep. >> thank you very much, larry gersten. this just in now to our newsroom, breaking news out of chicago. the national attention for the race to become chicago's mayor is now over. rahm emanuel is the new mayor of chicago. it got national attention because rahm emanuel, the former chief of staff for president obama, rahm emanuel also worked in the clinton white house, but now he has been declared the winner in chicago. rahm emanuel. he tweeted just a little while ago, thank you, chicagoans, looking forward to working with you. once again, rahm emanuel, president obama's former chief of staff, the newly elected mayor of chicago. polls closed just about 20 minutes ago. tonight at 11:00, we take a

look at the tough decisions districts are having to make in order to pay for teacher pensions. we'll introduce you to a 10-year-old by the name of tela huff who is one of 500,000 kids in california who are deemed gifted. this year the gifted students program at her school was eliminated. >> it brought diversity into my life, i guess you could say, because i learned about stuff that i think i would actually need later in life. >> evergreen school district in san jose says 89% of their funds go towards teacher salaries and pensions. the gifted students program wasn't the only sacrifice they had to make in order to balance the budget. >> there were a lot of programs that we have had to kind of put the brakes on and say we need to hold on these for a bit, use these funds, you know, meet our obligations and then see if they can come back at a later time. >> find out which bay area schools are axing their gifted programs. it's tonight at 11:00 after an

all new "parenthood." let's switch gears and toss things over to jeff ranieri to talk about. today was lovely, but the next few days are iffy. >> that's right. we had some of the warmest temperatures today that we have seen in days. 61 in gilroy, 58 livermore, 59 fairfield and upper 50s and low 60s in the north bay. hopefully you enjoy it because we're going to see those temperatures crash as we head throughout the next three-day period. right now we're dropping. it's still somewhat comfortable, though. 54 in livermore, 55 in gil row. for those of you in the north bay. it's mainly clear tonight, not looking at any weather disturbances across the entire state of california. where we're going to take you now is up to seattle where there's a winter storm warning in effect with 2 to 4 inches of snow in the next 24 hours. it's the same cold air producing this snow at sea level that's going to be pushing to the south as we head into thursday, friday and saturday for our cold blast and, yes, also low snow that could go down to sea level that we're going to be tracking

coming up in the show. as for tomorrow we'll start off in mid to upper 30s, san jose, gilroy, novato. by 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. we'll see a little warming but gradually the trend will be a much colder one as we introduce that chance of rainfall as we head into 6:00 p.m. on thursday. so it's not only going to be the rainfall, but also that low snow that's impacting seattle, that's going to make it down to the bay area. i'll let you know when the best chance of bay area snow will be coming up in just a little bit. >> thank you, jeff. just ahead now, caught in the middle of the chaos. we talk to a uc berkeley student studying abroad in new zealand. what she felt during the quake of sttheha aount of the rescue and recovery. we're back in a moment. .

okay, you know the drill. when you get on an airplane as you take off and land they ask you to turn off your cell phones but the faa says it still isn't sure if that's necessary. the reasoning is possible radio

interference between the pilots and controllers on the ground. that's why all portable electronic devices must be turned off below 10,000 feet. but one electrical engineering professor tells us the signal strength on most devices never really poses a risk. >> if everyone turned on their cell phone, it's like everyone speaking at a party, the volume goes up, there's more noise, there's more interference. but still, it's an incredibly small amount of power. >> the faa is trying to err on the side of safety, even though no one has ever demonstrated that there is a risk. >> very interesting. the faa is not aware of any specific instances where electronic equipment has actually created interference. studies the most recent between 2003 and 2006 have shown insufficient results. so all this time we've been doing this and maybe we didn't need to. still ahead at 6:00, riding in style. a bay area transit agency taking a cue from the big whigs in

silicon valley. rescuers trying desperately to reach people trapped in the quake in new zealand. why you should consider the disaster over there a wake-up call for over here. also a success story out of the east bay. how one city was able to reopen a fire station, even after budget cuts. and forget those chess clubs or what the nexts. what the next generion of silicon valley leaders are up to after school these days. n

the rescues are full under way in new zealand. look at that amazing video as that woman is hoisted out and over that building. so far crews have pulled 120 people alive from the rubble. now they're focusing on the downtown area. 6.3 magnitude quake that hit yesterday around noon time, one of the country's worst in 80 years. so far 75 people have been reported dead with 300 peep -- people still missing.

the prime minister has declared a national state of emergency which gives the government wider powers to take control of the recovery operation. the quake knocked out power and telephone lines, burst pipes flooded the streets. >> as with any earthquake, bay area seismologists are keeping close tabs on what happened there. they are looking for any information that could help us understand our earthquakes. >> so the question is what do we have in common with new zealand. the bay area and new zealand are in that ring of fire. joe rosati jr. shows us the lessons we're learning about this latest quake.

>> we apologize, we're having some problems with joe rosato's story. but you have an interview with someone who was there in the thick of it. >> we'll try to get back to that in a moment. some of the rescue workers were trained here at the bay area and at the usgs in menlo park. new zealand seems a world away but there are plenty of bay area connections including local students who are studying there. let's go to our nbc live line now. jill green joins us. jill, are you with us? first of all, are you away from any danger out there? >> yeah, i'm away from danger right now. i'm pretty stable as of right now. >> you're studying over in new zealand. take us through it. what happened yesterday as you felt the rumblings and what was going on. >> it was the second day of class for us here and i was just making lunch in my apartment. as i finished, it started shaking violently so i ran and hit under a desk. it lasted i guess for about 40 seconds.

it just seemed like forever. the walls were just swaying from side to side and everything was falling off the shelves. and then we went outside to get reports from like our r.a. to see if everything was fine. they said just to go back in our places, so we did. and then the second aftershock hit, which was really violent again. so we all just kind of hung out waiting for news outside for a long time afterwards. >> jill, we're looking at the video as a lot of people are around the world and it just looks horrific where you are. how are you feeling and what are you seeing around you today as you walk around the streets? >> i'm a little bit outside of the city center. we don't have as much damage because the buildings aren't as old. so there is a little bit of structural damage to places where i live, but other than that, it's not that bad here. there's still some kind of like gross soil coming out of the ground and streets with some cracks in them but other than

that it's not that bad right here. but what we see on the news not too far away from us is just unbelievable. >> jill, pretty interesting. obviously you're here in berkeley studying at cal. you're used to earthquakes, you grew up in southern california, you're used to earthquakes down there. how does it relate? >> at home it's never been anything the same. it maybe shook for five seconds and then it's been over and hits one wall and hits the next. but here it was just violent and it just lasted forever and it was much more terrifying. >> jill, what's next for you? how long will you be staying in new siouxlazealand to study? do you have any plans to come back sooner than expected? >> right now we're about to get out of town today to avoid the sewage problems and aftershocks. then i still plan on staying here and studying for the rest of the semester, so i'll be home in july. >> all right, very good. jill green, thanks for your time. we're very happy that you are safe and perhaps when you get

back to berkeley we'll catch up with you then. stay safe out there, okay? >> okay. new zealanders are used to experiencing earthquakes because they sit in that ring of fire we talk about, lots of seismic activity and lots of volcanic activity and so does california. so seismologists are keeping a very good eye on what's happening there to try to figure out if it could benefit us somehow or tell us more about what could happen when we get an earthquake. let's try joe rosato one more time. >> reporter: the images show the destruction in christchurch, new zealand, the result of an aftershock to a 7.1 quake that hit in september. researchers point out the earlier, larger quake did relatively little damage. even though yesterday's ooefbt was smaller, it packed quite a punch. >> in very close proximity to a highly populated city that has a lot of brick buildings that are vulnerable to earthquakes.

>> reporter: usgs seismologist walter mooney has traveled the world studying quakes and their aftermath. like the one in new zealand, he said each event carries lessons for the bay area. >> we need to be aware that even if the earthquake is a magnitude of 6.3, not as big as the haiti earthquake and much smaller than chile, even a moderate earthquake can cause damage. >> reporter: the fault that erupted near christchurch is called a slip strike, which means the plates slide back and forth. >> the most famous is the san andreas fault. >> reporter: it's similar to the san andreas fault which famously leveled san francisco in 1906. it's also similar to the east bay's hayward fault. >> we have that prospect to consider as well. in 1868 we had an earthquake on the hayward fault that goes right through populated regions. >> reporter: mooney says like the quake at christchurch, the hayward fault is near a populated area and new for an event. >> it's like the san andreas and the hayward fault.

it's a sliding kind of a motion on the fault. >> reporter: he says every quake, no matter where it is, is far more than images on the tv. in places like the bay area, it's a wake-up call. joe rosato jr., nbc bay area news. while in oakland, another delay in the trial of the man accused of chilling journalist chauncey bailey. today's change of venue hearing was put off until thursday at the defense request. attorneys for bailey's accused killers say they can't get a fair trial in alameda county. the judge is expected to decide that issue on thursday. then opening statements could begin march 21st when the jury is seated. chauncey bailey was gunned down in oakland while working on a story about problems inside a community organization run by the bay family. right now parents, teachers and students are rallying in concord. mount diablo trustees will vote to close glen brook middle and

holbrook elementary schools and also may close silverwood elementary to save $1.5 million a year. the district is struggling with declining enrollment and state budget cuts. the meeting begins at 7:30 at monte gardens elementary in concord. still ahead at 6:00, meet the new generation. bay area teens building a robot to take on the world. and plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the mid to upper 50s from san jose right into san francisco. not too bad today with some much-needed drying after all that wet weather recently and temperatures dropping in the low to mid-50s from the east bay down to san jose and it's going to be cold in the east bay with plenty of 30s. i'll have detain whehi ts when ow sn cw ould arrive and rain returning in a few minutes. ou

you might like this one. your commute might get a whole lot more comfortable in the south bay. the valley transportation agency is looking to upgrade its buses to make them more commuter friendly. the transit board will vote next

month on upgrading 20 hybrid buses with wi-fi, nice reclining seats and some other amenities too. the proposed changes will add $45,000 to the cost of each upgraded bus. that's why they need to vote. if they approve the plan the renovated buses should be on the streets sometime next year. take a look, how green is your phone? everyone who cares about apps and mega pixels knows that cell phones are not created equal. tonight we're learning that some phones are also greener than others. a uc berkeley professor has analyzed the phones and said the most environmentally preferable phones are made by nokia. their energy efficient chargers helped them score the highest. researchers disliked the iphone's ethical policies and performance. the lowest ranking company, rim, maker of the blackberry phones, because of the company's poor

environmental record. >> you'll have to get rid of that blackberry sitting on the desk. >> i'm putting it away. >> you better get green. shall we go to the sunshine, down to the arizona desert? let's bring in lawrence scott reporting live with the giants and as at spring training. take it away, lawrence. >> reporter: a great day here at spring training in scottsdale. let's go from first to second to third base. we'll start with giants top prospect, brandon belt. then we'll move on to freddy sanchez and we'll go over to a's camp to see what the latest is with their third bas tehi base . that and more coming up in sports.

okay. they're building their resumes by building a fully functioning robot to enter in a contest next month. >> scott budman paying them a visit. of course they're working on their week off. >> reporter: we walked into the one room at leland high school that was busy. >> make sure you couple them in pairs. >> reporter: school is off for the week, but these students are frantically putting the final touches on a six-week project that's created a robot ready to competition. >> i know for me this is like the first step into a whole new world. i joined the team and i just -- it was amazing. i love it. i have no problem spending my entire weekend out here programming and building the robot. yeah, it definitely made me want

to be an engineer. >> reporter: as part of the first robotic competition, one leland scored well on in the past, their robot has to move and complete tasks. it's a competition breeding the next generation of silicon valley tech workers. >> you learn essentially everything at first. it teaches you how to be a person, work with a team, work with other people, lead other people, and especially like in the high pressure situations during competition, how to deal with that kind of stress. >> reporter: from the wiring to the programming, it's a dedicated team with a dedicated leader. >> i've had had students tell me that the only reason they come to school is because of the robotics program. and one particular student that did tell me that, she's at mit today. >> reporter: proof that the industry's future is in good hands. >> it's just a lot of fun. it's my life. >> reporter: in san jose, scott budman, nbc bay area news. >> look at that. look at what they can make. >> we will be working for them in about five or ten years. let's bring in jeff ranieri.

i still can't get over the fact that it might be snowing here on friday. i'm sorry, i know it's only tuesday, but i've got to think friday. >> no, no, appropriate excitement there. it's only happened about ten times here since record keeping has began. we're also looking at these models staying consistent with that snowfall. we're going to get you more on that but also take you out live to gehirardelli square, a live picture with trevor bayne. he won the daytona 500. there he is, he's out there signing autographs. you can see the cameras flashing. you can head out there throughout tonight. the youngest ever to win the daytona 500 at 20 years old. you know, i'm from the daytona beach area. you can hear those cars going around that racetrack, you know, five, even 15 miles away from the track. all right, it's probably cold out there for trevor tonight. back in florida the temperatures this time of year in the 70s and the 80s. back here at home, it's dry right now on the radar. however, a winter storm watch is up across the sierra for our

next storm system. that's going to be moving in over the next three-day period. right now it's clear. a lot of activity out here in san jose with 52 degrees right now, winds northwest at 13. temperatures already starting to drop from these conditions that were the warmest we have seen in days with 61 in gilroy, 58 in san jose and 58 in livermore. we've dropped to the low 50s for the east and south bay so not overly cold but as we head into tomorrow morning, more patchy frost possible for those of you in the north bay as all of our inland spots are expected to drop into the 30s. cool and crisp wednesday, no big deal. but ahead, that's when we talk about rain coming back and also this extremely low snow. so here's the storm. it's going to drop out of the gulf of alaska and continue to usher in this second reinforcing shot of cold air. in fact the air is so cold right now it's producing low snow right around seattle with a winter storm warning up there with 2 to 4 inches over the next 24 hours. wednesday we're looking at

patchy frost, once again cold. thursday the snow levels start to drop as we begin to see this rain move in. it's not until 6:00 p.m. on thursday that we start to pick up on the rainfall. and then the snow levels will be dropping. right now our best chance for that low snow at the valley floor looks to be on early saturday morning, that rain/snow mix. it's going to be a real big timing issue because we know we're going to have the cold air but is that moisture going to arrive just in time with that cold air. our best guess once again with that possibility of rain/snow down here in the east bay, san francisco and also into the south bay. as for tomorrow morning, it's going to get cold out there once again with those 30s. and for tomorrow, more sunny skies, more clear conditions, nothing to complain about, right, when it comes to weather. you want to enjoy these conditions near 60 degrees because as we head into friday and saturday, these daytime highs are going to crash, as i've been saying all the way down to the 40s. get your layers, get your hats,

get your gloves, get your cameras ready maybe. >> yes. we have your instructions, jeff. >> and the gloves and the mittens. real quickly on our seven-day forecast, that low snow, the best chance friday and also saturday. more on nbcbayarea.com any time. >> we're excited. everyone is excited. >> i can feel it. let's get to the desert now with lawrence scott. >> reporter: good evening. you know what, i want to make an introduction tonight. we want you to meet the giants top prospect. his name is brandon belt. he's a first baseman. first base is crowded. he might have to wait some time before he starts playing first base for the giants, but let's show you what he was doing in action here today in scottsdale. you know, he's a very grounded guy. his time will come, we'll tell you that. who better to learn from than will the thrill. good lineage here. belt is from east texas, a town

called nacogdoches. what you'd like to believe is he'd take a similar path as buster posey did and get a mid-season call hundred but he'll likely start at aaa fresno. he could be at at&t sooner rather than later. perhaps he lights up spring training with a .352 batting average. aubrey huff thus finds left field to his liking and belt starts at first for years to come. sounds good? listen, he's humble so if he has to wait for the right time like posey, he will take it in stride. >> you know, i think my biggest goal out here is just to learn as much as possible from all the veteran guys. there's tons of them out here. they have a lot of experience and a lot of knowledge to share with me. hopefully i can get out here and learn as much as possible. i think it will help me be more successful in the future. >> you know what, he's a very talented player. he's pretty ahead of the game because he went to college and texas has a good program. he did a lot of things over there. it's just adjusting to the pro

game. he's making adjustments. you know, one of these days here pretty soon he'll be a big leaguer. >> reporter: let's go from first to second. we talked with freddy sanchez today and, you know, he's had two shoulder surgeries in the past two off seasons. here's a look at freddy in action. on the field in scottsdale today. you know, he's been working hard to make sure all is good to go for opening day. last year it was mid-may before we saw him in action after operations on his left shoulder and one of his knees. this time around the surgery went a bit deeper, remaining suit tour -- sutures from his shoulder. here's what he had to say about getting healthy. >> i just want to be out there every day and play. where i am this year as opposed to last year is night and day. last year i was well, well -- you know, way, way far behind and this year i'm -- i might miss a week of spring training, maybe less, we'll see.

but i'm light years ahead of where i was last year and i'm hoping for a big year this year. >> reporter: all right. now to a's camp to bring us to third base. billy bean tried real hard to bring adrian beltre to third base. he ended up going to the rangers. here's the scene today, you've got kevin kouzmanoff back at it, getting ready for his second year at third base for oakland. they really did try to replace him. beltre and then trying to trade for shawn figgins. kouzmanoff is taking it all in stride because last year wasn't so great. his batting average and on-base percentage were career lows but he did lead the a's in home runs with 16. here's the skipper. >> i spoke to him, his attitude is fantastic, it's just what you want. he understood completely that baseball has a business side to it and he had enough confidence to know that i'm going to be a

starting third baseman in the major league somewhere. after all is said and done, there's no change. he's right back with us, he's our third baseman and he's excited about this year. >> reporter: spring training coverage continues on comcast sportsnet bay area, the sportsnet central team is also here in arizona with complete coverage of the a's and world champion giants. spring training coverage right up until opening day nightly at 10:30 p.m. on sportsnet central over on comcast sportsnet bay area. finally tonight we were talking about the japanese media who invaded the a's camp to talk to hideki matsui. well, today they caught up with the beard. take a look. >> brian wilson of the san francisco giants. if you're a baseball fan, you're awesome. kids included. >> reporter: what's a beard without a mustache? brian wilson loves '80s fashion. this a hybrid of 1980s and 1880s

fashion. his boss facial hair t-shirt showing it off to the japanese media today. turning japanese, was that '80s song from the band the vapors. the guy does love the '80s so much he tweeted after practice he was going to go watch "back to the future." we saw him out to lunch in scottsdale. >> i think i'm turning japanese, you remember that? >> you really think so? >> is it getting too much with brian wilson all of this? it just seems like every day there's some other side story or rep ter:,llrewee' w >> reporter: well, we're showing it to you every day. >> we'll be right back.

finally tonight, forget the candles. the hottest new birthday cake accessory may have some furious feathers. is that right? a british tech blogger made a playable angry birds birthday cake for his son. the video of this creation inspired by his gaping app has gone viral. the cake has stackable blocks, amazing recreations of the birds and those taunting little green pegs and of course a working catapult. his 6-year-old son wasted no son trying to knock out the pigs with the birds. >> this is a cake we'll have to do for you. >> i like it. if we can eat it, it's all good.

our latest editorial stated we believe in teacher tenure reform. reform that protects effective teachers and refuses to give ineffective ones a hall pass. your responses were passionate and polarizing. one teacher exclaims i can only do so much. many parents don't follow up at home with homework checking or don't participate in conferences. another counters great editorial. we're the only profession that guarantees employment after two years. this is a socialistic profession. this viewer adds when teachers are compensated like those in business, we'll have a more competitive and motivated environment. finally, one educator says a little peer pressure into a bad

thing. let other teachers evaluate them and put them on the shape up or ship out process. teachers would not let ineffective bad teachers stick around. thanks for your feedback. join the debate online. i could walk 60 miles in 3 days. 60 miles compared to what a cancer patient goes through is a walk in the park. from the moment i registered, people started immediately supporting me and asking me how they could help. you meet the most wonderful, inspiring people. when you accomplish those 60 miles, it's truly life-changing. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. because everyone deserves a lifetime.