right now at 11:00, food prices are up. sticker shock at the pump. but oil companies are posting record profits. the middle class is feeling the squeeze. and how some bay area families are trying to keep costs down. plus, a change in the weather, just in time for your morning commute. and with five days to go until the royal wedding, we're getting insight into how prince william will honor his mother, princess diana. the news starts right now. good evening. i'm diane dwyer. all across this nation, people are feeling the sting of high prices at the gas pump and at

the grocery store. and some economists say the nation's middle class is feeling that strain as never before. nbc bay area's monte francis is in san francisco with that story for us. monte? >> reporter: well, diane, good evening. many americans canceled their plans for spring break. and now they're rethinking their summer vacations. here is part of the reason why. the soaring price of gas you can see here. it is $4.49 a gallon. for those who identify themselves as middle class, this is just part of a new reality. nancy and her husband are among the estimated 45% of americans who identify themselves as middle class. nancy makes good money as a nurse, but with organic milk at $7 a gallon, tomatoes $5 a pound and spaghetti sauce at $8.49, she has been forced to make changes to her family's budget. >> before i used to spend $100. it would be easy to get what i need. now it's leaving the door pay $250 or more. >> reporter: the salvation army in san francisco says it's seen

a growing number of people, part of what it calls the former middle class, struggling to put food on the table. >> since the major economic downturn, we have really seen a change in the people that we're serving. not only those that are low income or underprivileged, but those folks that maybe those middle class people that were laid off. >> reporter: some economists argue the middle class is shrinking and cite figures that show the gap between the rich and the poor continuing to grow. 61% of americans now say they live paycheck to paycheck. that's up almost 20% in three years. while the top 1% of households own almost twice as much corporate wealth as they did 15 years ago. >> it's been crazy. gas prices are going higher. food prices are getting higher. i just sometimes feel -- i just don't know how people can live off normal wages and feed their family. >> reporter: in one of the struggles for charities such as the salvation army is that

donations are down. so they are trying to serve more people with fewer resources. live in san francisco, monte francis, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, monte. usually strong profit reports from wall street don't make people angry. but this week might be a little different. oil companies are expected to announce profits near record highs. analysts say exxon will post profits of a staggering $10 billion for just the past quarter. that's a 60% increase from the same time last year. san ramon chevron is expected to announce an increase of 29% in profits. >> they probably will be reporting very high profits. not yet as high as 2007-2008, but they will be up substantially from the prior year because the crude oil price is higher, and the crude oil price really does drive their profitability. >> so in other words the real culprits are the oil speculators. the president is calling for elimination of $4 billion in subsidies for oil companies and

announced a new task force to investigate allegations of fraud in that gas speculation market. that as word came out that chevron did not pay any u.s. corporate taxes in 2009, partly because of tax codes that allow companies to log their biggest profits in low tax countries other than the u.s., even though those companies like chevron are based in the united states. a new poll shows a strong majority of california voters would like to see a state-wide election to decide the issue of extending taxes here. it's a critical issue as the governor and lawmakers battle over how to balance the budget. nbc bay area's ti aey area kimb voting on that. >> reporter: it seems votering are seeing the governor's point

of view when it come s s to the statewide election to decide whether to extend temporary tax. >> i think it should be put to a vote. i think there is enough people in california that have alread >> spoken ñl& >> spoken ñl& andor ing a similar taxes were.jgfin >> the voters have already , thtime thatgmink ap dr25%@ ab g cutsés/ñ whattd a ee5 rmed promi s

kimberly tere, nbc bay area news. >> kimberly, thank you. the biggest budget problem for most cities is police and fire now make up anywhere from 50 to 70% of the total budget, and those costs are controlled by contracts. in san francisco, for instance, there are several proposals to

rein in salaries and pensions for public safety officers to try to balance the budget. for instance, public defender jeff adacci says police pensions are twice as expensive as other city workers, and firefighter pensions are three times as expensive. he also said that the top 100 public safety officers earned on average $250,000 a year in san francisco. "the san francisco chronicle" added today in a report that most firefighters and police officers in the city don't actually live in san francisco, and some live as far away as lake tahoe, pointing out that that could be a significant not coping with their own personal losses, end quote. thousands of homeless and low income people celebrated this easter sunday with plenty to eat, thanks to glide memorial church in san francisco. organizers and volunteers at glide in the tenderloin were busy handing out full fried chicken dinners today to those

with nowhere else to go, or who just needed a little extra support. >> you know, the world is -- and most of america right now is enjoying easter. and this community, this neighborhood sometimes gets forgotten. but that's why we do it. that's why it's a special day. that's why we have fried chicken on this sunday. that's why we're all here. >> glide serves more than 1 million hot meals each year and provides either free or low cost health care and other service as well. the main airport in st. louis is operational again tonight. the major u.s. airport is handling close to 70% of its normal schedule after the pictures you're seeing here, friday's severe storm and tornado shut it down. the airport's director is applauding efforts to restore service while homeowners hit hardest by the twister are just thankful no one was killed. >> i think it's amazing. so when i take a look at where we stood here on friday night. >> this much devastation, we could have lost lives. so we're grateful. our family is fine and our

neighbors are fine. >> the tornado damaged more than 750 homes in the area. congresswoman gabby giffords is getting a travel pass from rehab doctors in houston so she can go to watch her husband's space shuttle launch in florida this coming week. the arizona democrat was shot in a tucson parking lot 15 weeks ago. doctors say she is in the top 5% of recoveries for people who suffered severe brain trauma. giffords is walking with help, and she is able to communicate using single words and short expressions we're told. her husband astronaut mark kelly will be the commander when the shuttle "endeavour" is scheduled to take off on friday. doctors say gifford's recovery is very encouraging, but there is no word on when or if she'll be able to resume her work in washington. it's being called the super bowl of scams. coming up next at 11:00, how cybercriminals are crashing the royal wedding and creating a web-surfing trap at the same time. how to spot and avoid the royal scam. i'm marianne favro.

coming up can, i'll show you how acupuncture is being used here in the bay area to treat wrinkles and tighten skin. weather. we're going to get some showers dropping into the north bay. and i tell you what, it could slow down your monday morning commute. we'll have a full look at an interesting forecast that also includes 70s this week. coming up when wcome rht s back.

botox, injectable fillers, plastic surgery. if you want to look younger, you

have a whole lot of option. but few are chemical and surgery-free. now some women in the bay area are turning to acupuncture to turn back time. tonight nbc bay area's marianne favro takes a look at this all natural approach to beauty. kelly hodge just turned 40, and is hoping a treatment that has been around for centuries will take a few years off her face. she is having cosmetic acupuncture in willow glen. >> so what we're trying to do is create a little microtrauma under the skin. so it really takes advantage of the body's natural healing process. >> reporter: licensed acupuncturist rick bernard says during that healing process, collagen production is revved up, which helps fill in wrinkles. and there is another benefit. >> it kind of wakes the nerve up and the nerve affects the muscles in the area. these before and after pictures show a tighter jaw line. cosmetic acupuncture can also help minimize vertical lines between the eyes. >> i think it definitely has taken off five years. >> reporter: these are nikki's pictures before and after ten

session. >> my laugh lines are definitely improved, smoother. some of them even went away completely. >> reporter: each session costs $105. most people need 10. kelly says despite all the needles in her face, her 20-minute treatment is surprisingly relaxing. >> it's a slight pinch once the needle goes in and then goes away. >> reporter: occasionally clients get a little bruising. while kelly may not get the same dramatic and quick results of botox, she says she would much rather take this chemical free approach to beauty, one that is cheap than botox in the long run. it lasts about 18 months, but with maintenance can last up to three years. this is kelly's third treatment, but already she has noticed improvement. >> i think the wrinkles here diminished a bit and this deep-set wrinkle definitely diminished as well. >> reporter: beth of all, she says she still looks like herself, only younger, which is why she'll be sticking to this beauty regimen. >> i want something that is

really natural and authentic to who i am. and this just seems to be a very safe and easy route to go. >> reporter: in willow glen, marianne favro, nbc bay area news. all right. well, some dermatologists we talked to question whether cosmetic acupuncture would do much more for your skin than a good facial. the women we talked to who tried it say acupuncture definitely diminished the appearance of their fine lines for months, not just days, and they plan to do more session. cosmetic acupuncture is not recommended for people who suffer from migraines. on friday, prince william and kate middleton are plan tock married at westminster abbey, the place where diana's funeral was held. it is reported prince william will talk about his mother in his wedding speech 30 years after charles and diana were married. part of the script reads, quote, my dear mother is here in spirit, and will be so proud of katherine today. princess diana had a famously difficult time adjusting to royal life, and william is hoping to ease his wife into life as a royal, but it won't be

easy. >> prince william and katherine's wed willing be watched by over a billion people. it's going to be very difficult, isn't it, to put the genie back in the bottle. >> first comes the wedding. kate has been visiting her hairdresser and buying bikinis for her honeymoon. the choice of a wedding dress and wedding designer, still a secret at this point could have a big affect on the fashion world. one online expert is calling it the super bowl of scams. more than an estimated $2 billion people worldwide are expected to watch the royal wedding this friday, 1 billion to 2 billion, somewhere in there, millions will also search the royal couple online. according to security experts, many scammers plan on launching harmful links. so how do you protect yourself? make sure you have anti-virus software. >> already seeing royal wedding related malware. we're seeing poison search engine results and spam is starting to build. >> pick your websites that you know are reputable and manually type them in yourself.

that's the only way you'll be safe the day of the wedding. >> experts with norton security say 22 of the first 100 searches on google for royal wedding gown sketches are so-called poisoned links right now. all right. we're going to check in with mr. rob maeda because he has a really nice forecast in store for us right now. >> you're already looking ahead to tuesday. >> oh, i'm skipping tomorrow. >> tomorrow we still have one more system dropping in on us. in fact, some of that rain starting to show up in the north bay. we'll show you that in just a moment right now. mostly 50s right now. still kind of breezy out there towards the delta, solano county, napa county still seeing winds above 20 miles per hour in a few spots. gusty in some location you. may see some of that on the midspans of the bay bridge and san mateo bridges tomorrow morning. a little breezy outside. in terms of the rain, most of it is held off for the evening. but the clouds are thickening up, and we're starting to see light rain from santa rosa to the west of petaluma. this is setting the stage for the first half of tomorrow, which will include scattered showers, and occasionally few

raindrops. starting to see some of that around the peninsula approaching from west san bruno. south bay not seeing a whole lot yet. but probably late morning areas like san jose, or especially the santa cruz mountains will probably get the most out of the system for the south bay right now. just some area of lighter rain around fremont and union city. this should fill in as we head through your morning commute. you can see the system. the strongest punch with it is going the aim off to the north. so we're just seeing the outer fringe sweep through for the first half of tomorrow. hour-by-hour as we head into your morning commute, especially across the north bay, right around the coastal hilltops, we will see some scattered showers once again. and then quickly, just like we saw today, skies will clear as we head through the afternoon. rain totals most significant for the north bay hills. we could get about a quarter inch of rain in a few areas, mainly from marin county northward. and notice the rain totals really dropping off areas south of redwood city in san jose. once we get past the system by the way, the rest of the week we're talking about the high pressure building in and you'll finally see the 70s coming back

to the forecast as we head towards the middle part of the week. so far tomorrow morning, some rain dropping back in on us. again, we'll see some moderate rain in a few spots around the north bayhill tops. then around lunch time still probably dealing with scattered showers. and we'll see temperatures running kind of cool tomorrow. mostly low 60s around lunch time. and as we head towards 3:00 and 4:00 for the afternoon, we'll see highs in the mid-60s for most places, just like we saw today. we're going to get some clearing, breezy conditions approaching the evening. then as we pass your monday forecast, you'll see a much more pleasant and spring-like forecast wednesday and thursday. mid-70s might be a little conservative. we might get into the upper 70s in a few spots. >> i feel good than. >> and next weekend looks just fine. if only we could have had that weekend for this weekend, because there were a lot of muddy easter egg hunts today. just a few. >> we put ours off until 1:00. so it wasn't too bad. all right. thanks a lot, rob. big fun in san francisco. up next, the street race that drew thousands and helped out

kids as well. even though these grownups were kind of acting like kids too. good evening. i'm laurence scott. tonight some insider stuff with the giants. we take you behind the scenes for how to watch batting practice. third base coach tim flannery gives us the tour. plus, a piece of giants history from the past on wax. we drop the needle on that. plus, the sharks getting ready r a.n l.inga agasthe in l.a. ag kings. we talked to them before they headed down to the city of angels. that and more coming up on

the animated hit rio soaring to the top of the box office this weekend. the family adventure pulled in more than $27 million, marking its second week at the number one spot. tyler perry,ed me dea's big happy family beat out anothbuers debut, water for elephants starring reese witherspoon. we'll be right back.

we're calling it the tour de trikes. only in san francisco, hundreds of people showed up for the 11th annual big wheels bike race. oh, yes, big wheels. it's an adults only affair, sort of. the so-called grownups carry their bikes to the steep hill and barrel down as fast as they can. at the end of the race, unwanted big wheels are collected by the san francisco firefighters and donated to needy kids. that is if they don't get all crashed up as they're going down hill. thanks for watching nbc bay area news at 11:00. we've got "sports sunday" coming up next. each giants home game this

season has been sold out. and the fans arriving early are getting a deeper look inside the game within the game. who to watch for tonight. plus, we talked to the sharks who tell what's it will take to eliminate the kings tomorrow in l.a. we've got laurence scott coming up next on "sports sunday." have a lovely week and happy easter.

and now another viewpoint, response to an nbc bay area editorial. >> in our latest editorial, we said we're tired of politicians shouting from the rooftops that taxes are too high while ignoring that the foundation of our tax system itself is in need of serious repair. rory seconds the shortsightedness. having a broken government where the majority can't pass a budget makes it worse. it's one thing to be against taxes and another to be sawing off the branch you're sitting

on. noel adds, our sales tax system has not kept up with how we consume today. modernizing the sales tax base and lowering the rate is a better approach. and patricia points out corporate profits are going up while folks like me are getting 1 to 2% wage increases and doing more work with less manpower. that's not california dreamin. thanks for your comments. we hope you'll join us online at nbceditorials.com. to

"sports sunday." thank you for joining us. i'm laurence scott. we've got several giants stories to share with you tonight, one of which is an inside look at what is basically a daily ritual. giants third base coach tim flannery gives us an inside look at how to watch batting practice. it's a lot more than just looking at the guys in the cage. there is a ballet to follow, which could give you some clues about the game to come, if you know what to look for. and we detail some of that tonight. plus we take a spin around the west, all across baseball. some celebrity sightings. thank you, easter bunny. and thank you guy who has everyone talking about how rick vaughn has impacted brian wilson this year. charlie sheen catching a rockies game. the team ahead of the giants at the moment. and for the sharks, last night's game 5 was a missed opportunity to close out the kings. it's still checkmate, but even more has been