news at noon. good afternoon. i'm heather holmes in for tori campbell. well, any moment now, a contra costa county judge is expected to make a crucial decision in the richmond gang rape case. we'll soon learn how many of the selfen defendants will stand trial and on what charges. jade hernandez has been f ollowing today's developments and joins us live from martinez. jade? >> reporter: good afternoon, heather. i can tell you right now, court has been adjourned for now. the contra costa county judge will decide which of the seven defendants will go on to trial and on what charges and which ones will stand trial for the gang raping of a 16-year-old richmond high school student. no cameras were allowed in the courtroom today. contra costa county judge gregory kaskie is expected to decide which defendants will go on trial and on which charges. he had two reservations going into this, first, was there enough to bring cody ray smith to trial. the judge told smith's attorney today that he did not think the 16-year-old enticed the victim over to attack her. the judge says it appears smith walked the girl over to the picnic table where she was allegedly gang raped in richmond to drink alcohol. there's only one witness p ointing to smith. today we'll find out if that's enough to send smith to trial. he will also decide about elvis. his testimony has been confusing and contra victory. this is michael rude. it was difficult at times to listen to. the court was still in session when i left 20 minute ago. as i mentioned, it appears court has been adjourned. we'll continue to follow this story for you and give you an u pdate tonight at 5:00 and 6:00. reporting live from martinez, jade hernandez, ktvu channel 2 news. the man accused of killing a community activist in a san mateo shopping mall parking garage is due in court this afternoon. police arrested this man, 58- year-old, of pittsburg on sunday in connection with the murder of david lewis. friends of the suspect and the victim say the two were l ong- time friends. they were also former drug addicts who had turned their lives around. investigators haven't said if he confessed but they say they have evidence of his involvement and believe he acted alone. oakland police plan to hold a news conference within the next hour to talk about an officer-involved shooting that left one man dead and two other men in custody. police are still looking for a fourth man who was in this car when it crashed yesterday afternoon near 33rd street and 13th avenue. investigators say all four were in this car when officers tried to pull him over and that they took off, crashing after a short chase. that's when officers shot one of the men who jumped from the car. 19-year-old abutae edwards. >> that person did have a handgun and he was shot. he was pronounced dead on the scene. >> police say they tried to stop the car because they believe it was linked to a gang shooting last friday night. the mother of the man police shot yesterday says he was home on friday night and was not involved in the gang shooting. this is the 6th officer involved shooting in oakland this year. four of them fatal. in antioch, the search continues for several suspects who shot and critically injured a man. police found the victim, a man in his 20s, lying in the street on rock spring way after 5:00 last night. the victim apparently went there to meet a group of people. police say he got into the suspect's car, was shot and then pushed out of the vehicle before the suspect sped away. the victim is now in critical condition as police investigate his relationship to the s uspects. now, the suspect's car is described as a 90s model, dark green, two-door ford escort. if you have any information you are asked to call antioch p olice. well, the lengthy legal and political battle to close the state's last fossil fuel power plant ended today. we learned the fate of the potrero hill power plant today. claudine wong joins us with the details. >> reporter: well, good afternoon. yes. today is being called an historic day, a momentous day. we hind me is the pe tremendous row power plant and you are taking -- potrero power plant and you are taking a look at one of the dirtiest in the state. the today, it was announced it will be shut down by the end of the year. officials stood shoulder to shoulder in a show of solidarity after a long, hard- fought b attle. >> now, women pleased to announce that this plant will be closed january 1st. >> reporter: when 2010 ends so will operations here at the potrero power plant. >> we live in bayview. as we would drive into downtown every day, we could see the exhaust from the facility from highway 280 and it was a stark reminder of california's energy needs but also a inspiration as to what we could do going forward. >> at one point, just a decade ago, with energy needs growing, there was talk of expansion. but over the last several years, this plant and the pollution it created became the focus of elected leaders bent on shutting it down. >> it's taken the state and the city to close this power plant and it's been wonderful. i must say i started working on these plants when i took off office and now the plants are leaving with me, and at -- at least this one is. >> reporter: the folks behind it this closure made it clear that this road was long, bumpy, and often hard-fought. >> there were a lot of phone calls, arguments, disputes. but the fact of the matter is everybody was focused on the same goal. >> reporter: and that goal was realized. so today the focus turned from what it took to get here to what it means to arrive here. this closure marks the end of an era for the city. it's the last fossil-fuel plant in san francisco and the mayor says this city can now start down a cleaner, greener road. >> it was a big part of san francisco's industrial foundation. but it gets to a point where we turn our back to the old ways of doing things and we proudly lift our heads to a new way of doing things. >> reporter: you are looking back live at the power plant here in san francisco. the bittersweet in all of this is there are about 30 people who will lose their jobs as a result of this closure. but the company that owns this plant says it is looking at exploring new ways and new uses for the site once the closure is complete. the hope is that whatever this site is used for will create jobs and in the meantime, everyone around here will be enjoying the benefits of b reathing cleaner air. live in san francisco, claudine wong, ktvu channel 2 news. >> san mateo county supervisors today will consider a resolution they hope will prevent a san francisco policy from taking effect. at issue is the local higher ordinance approved last week by san francisco supervisors. that law would eventually mandate that san franciscans make up at least half of the workforce of all city-funded construction projects in san francisco and within 70 miles of it. well, some officials in san mateo county believe the law would restrict job students for peninsula construction workers and they want mayor gavin newsom to veto it. the mayor has until friday to sign or veto that bill. the u.s. census bureau this morning handed over the official results from the 2010 count to president obama. it shows that there are now just under 309 million people living here in the united states. that's about a 10% growth from two, the slowest growth rate since the great depression. california is still the most populous state at 37 million. wyoming, least, at just over -- -- at just over 500,000. texas will gain four additional seats while california's count will had remain the same for the first time in eight decades. what holiday travelers should expect at bay area airports today. a little bit later, a little bit of a break from the wet weather but how long will it last. steve paulson will have your holiday forecast coming up next. >> reporter: what animal control officers are saying about a man who interveered -- intervened in a pit bull attack. winter begins today and the polar bears are celebrating with snow. the san francisco ice company donated 10 tons of manufactured snow for the bears as they do every year at this time. bears were showered with gifts and a lot of edible treats. the hunt is on this noon hour for two pit bulldogs that vish shushly attacked a -- viciously attacked a woman. authorities say if it weren't for the man who intervened, the dogs may have killed the woman. here's kraig debro. >> reporter: san jose animal control officers are going door to door looking for two pit bulls. they might have killed a woman if it weren't for one of her neighbors. >> i saw the two dogs on top of the lady. so i quickly -- >> reporter: they knocked her to the ground? >> no. one of them already shook her. >> reporter: he said one of them had already locked his jaw around -- locked hit jaw around her arm. she's heavily damaged. she also received bites by her hip. she went to the vehicle to get something, when the dogs a ttacked. meanwhile, this man, who said he's scared of dogs, swallowed that beer and stopped that attack with a narrow brick he found in a neighbor's yard. >> i hit one and the other one is on top of the girl. i kept on shaking her. >> i . i grabbed a few more rocks. >> reporter: one dog, subdued, the other hovering over the women. >> i want want to hit him on top of her because i -- i didn't want to hit him on top of her because i might hit her. so as soon ace was able to i hit them and they took off the -- took off to the bushes. >> he saved her life. >> reporter: the man on the street who intervined had another reason for -- intervened had another reason for getting involved. his family. animal control officers the pit bulls they are looking for are not strays but that may make it harder to catch them. >> there are folks who don't want to give up their family pet even if they have committed a serious attack. in san jose, kraig debro, ktvu channel 2 news. the u.s. department of homeland security has reportedly uncovered a poison plant masterminded by al qaeda. cbs reports that homeland security learned of a plot to poison buffets and salad bars. the report says the plot was to be carried out over a single weekend using two poisons. ricin and canide. homeland-- cyanide. homeland security is not r esponding. investigators believe speed sensors played a role in the crash of an air france a-330 in the atlantic last year that k illed all 228 people on board. today, airbus says two speed sensors can give the same incorrect data about speed and that pilots shut nod -- should not engage auto pilot if they suspect false readings. the air jet showed it was receiving false readings before it crashed. we just checked in with officials at airports in san jose, san francisco and oakland and currently, there are no significant delays due to local weather but they say foul weather in places such as chicago, new york and london is causing some delays. crowded airports could also contribute to long lines, 124,000 people are expected to pass through sfo today. that's about 25,000 more than a typical winter day. weather delays in europe are so bad right now, that thousands of travelers had been stranded at airports for days. at heathrow airport in london, snow is blanketing runways at a rapid rate and freezing temperatures are making it difficult to de-ice planes. train travel is also backed up and long lines of people who have given up on air travel to try their luck with trains. all right. none of that severe weather h ere, at least not today, but a break could be short-lived. let's check in with steve paulson. >> we're in between systems. there will be one more coming in tonight and tomorrow and one more on saturday. and then next week is starting to look very quiet. nothing compared to what we've had over the last five to seven days. the heaviest of rain has moved into southern california. we still have mostly cloudy skies but there was a little bit of sun this morning. temperatures, 30s and 40s, e nding up in the low 50s. there's the tropical clouds down in southern california. so ren shall rain for some of them. but for us, things have calmed down considerably. this is a much weaker system. it's splitting as well. still, a lot of cloud cover, light rain, and then tonigh tomorrow, some rain will make i t. it doesn't look like it will be too heavy. we get a break on thursday and friday and then one more system rolls in on saturday and maybe even sunday morning. and then i think things will change and go back to ho-hum. when you start to see breaks in the clouds right there, that is a sign this is starting to fall apart. there's some very good rain from eureka, up to crescent city. but that's the same system we're expect to come in. but now it won't be until very late. down to 42 at livermore. they are now 54. but everyone's close. 52, 53, 54. sanjose the warmest at 55. the tropical clouds again just heavy rain down in same. if you have to travel down to southern california, you might want to wait. the mostly cloudy today, some light rain, mainly on the coast and the north bay. but even that looks like it's taking a little bit of a break here but by tonight, this system will begin to move in. we'll see some rain, possibility of lightning especially as you move points north you but otherwise, mostly cloudy to cloudy. light rain, cool to mild. we'll go in the upper 50s, especially down towards the santa clara valley. all it takes is a little bit more to get around 58, 59. it's cold for some. upper 40s or very low 50s. mid-50s elsewhere. 56 pleasanton, down to the south bay, a little warmer we'll see 58 los gatos, santa cruz at 58 and about the same for woodside palo alto, 55 pacifica and daly city. one more system comes in t onight. it's not that strong. a break, dry. saturday/sunday looks like rain but i think that will be it probably for a while. >> all right. so just bear with it. >> yeah. >> winter starts at 3:38 today officially. >> thanks. >> any time. forecasters are expecting another 2 to 8 inches of rain in southern california overnight. and another storm son christmas day. rivers of mud have been rushing through neighborhoods. streets and highways have f looded. power has been knocked out. some people have evacuated from their home. motorists and hikers have been rescueded. there's swollen creeks. an accident this morning in san francisco sent three people to the hospital. it happened about 5:20 this morning on junipero serro boulevard near 19th just off interstate 580. police say a gmc truck s ideswiped a honda sedan and both cars slammed into a free. the firefighters had to use the jaws of life to get the driver out of the honda. police say it appeared he had two broken legs. the driver and passenger in the truck were also taken to the hospital. all are expected to survive. police are still looking for the cause of that crash. we have a sad update on a story we first told you about yesterday morning involving a missing southern california woman. a woman's minivan was coupled -- was pulled from the russian river last night. investigators say her body was still inside. friends of 62-year-old phyllis bin reported her missing sunday morning, fearing she had driven off highway 1 and into the river the night before. investigators say alcohol does not appear to be a factor. they are now looking into whether the minivan had any mechanical issues. a major earthquake hit a remote island area of japan this morning. the quake measured 7.4 and was centered in the islands about, about 650 miles south-southeast of tokyo. jamb 'meteorological agency issued an alert to nearby islands for a minor tsunami. some islands evacuated low- lying areas. still to come -- a busy s hopping mall is advocated. we'll tell you why coming up -- is advocated -- is evacuated. we'll tell you -- we'll tell you why coming up. and controversy over a s hopping mall. the next, you start one feeling a bit off.ne. the moment you feel run down or achy, nip flu-like symptoms in the bud, with oscillococcinum. get oscillo and feel like yourself again. oscillococcinum, nip it in the bud. 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[ female announcer so with keurig, every cup tastes like it's brewed just for you. ♪ because it is. choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. the fcc today approved some controversy new rules governor access to the internet. the rules would essentially keep high-speed internet companies from slowing down some types of websites such such as those belonging to competitorses or speeding up others from h igh-paying types. the plan now goes to congress for final approval. iphone users could have better wi-fi deckses. at&t says it's buying bandwidth from qualcomm. since iphone users are limited to at&t contracts, at least for now, they only have 3-g connections. verizon started to offer it 4-g this mon and -- month and there are reports they could offer iphone service next year. the there's controversy over a target being put up at kerner. the city council was scheduled to vote on this but delayed it until it gets full impact on the community. supporters say it will create jobs. but opponents say it will hurt small businesses. >> we have so many here already. it with just be another one. >> i'm not swayed by cheap prices. i don't go to target, walmart. don't do it. >> it's gonna be bring some j obs. they need cashier and stock people. >> a group named "keep it local san rafael account is collecting signatures to force a r eferendum. if the council approves the p lan, no word when a decision will be made. two months after the male closed because of a devastating fire, shoppers were forced to evacuate because of a flash mob event. the event was promoted on the internet and firefighters say about 5,000 people ended up inside. they say they could hear noises such as possible -- such as pops and creeking that -- creaking. coming up at 5:00, the asian art museum is one of san francisco's architect usually stunning trends. but it's facing a crisis. a letter of credit is set to expire today, jeopardizing the newsroom's -- museum's source of operating funds. find out what can be done to try to save it. i hope you join me for the next newscast at 5:00. until then, everyone, have a wonderful day. see you back here at 5:00.