Both of them has been hospit hospitalized. 880 through hayward has been shut down. This is the patrol car involved in the crash. Investigators have been out here since midnight. This is 880 southbound across from southland mall in hayward. Chp says the collision happened sometime after 11 30 a. M. Last night. As you mentioned, a car crashed into the back of the patrol car. The driver of the other car was transported to the hospital. Again, we dont know the extent of the parties involved. If you are planning on driving through the area, know that traffic is already a mess. Five lanes of southbound 880 traffic is being diverted to the single lane a street exit, causing huge delays. Chp is operating maximum enforcement through the holidays meaning all hands on deck on bay area freeways. Southbound 80 through 92 is likely to be closed until 7 00 a. M. This morning. Reporting live in hayward, anser hassan, today in the bay. Thank you. There is another story we are following. Several people out of their homes this Christmas Morning after an overnight fire in San Francisco. Today in the bays pete suratos is live near the intersection of pros tepect and virginia. We understand more homes were impacted by the fire . Reporter thats right, marcus. It started in one home on prospect avenue and spread to two other homes next to it. You are talking three homes that were affected all together. Four people were forced to selfevacuate. The good news is, there were no injuries to those four individuals. Lets show you guys this video. Right now, we have one engine of San Francisco fire on the scene. According to fire officials, it happened roughly around 1 25 a. M. When they showed up. The fire mare started in the front of the home. Now, the cause of that fire is still under investigation. We spoke to residents on the scene not long ago. Here is what they told us they were able to hear and see this morning. I heard a bang. There was an explosion. I saw an explosion. You know, flames and so, very sudden. Thats what i saw. I saw her freaking out. Then, i didnt know what was going on. Then she said look outside. Yeah. It was up in flames. Reporter now, it appears there was mostly exterior damage to the home. There was a lot of damage to that home. As far as those four people that were able to selfevacuate, they are getting help from red cross, as we speak. They appear to look okay, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation. We are live in San Francisco, pete suratos, today in the bay. Pete, thank you for that update. We want you to stick with today in the bay for continuing coverage. Well bring live reports as we learn more this morning. You can also go to www. Nbcbayarea. Com. At 5 04, fire investigators are trying to figure out what caused a Christmas Eve house fire. It started in a garage, then spread to the rest of the home. This was on mendona avenue, a block away from san joses airport. The owner was in the home at the time, but he is okay. Firefighters say one bedroom was destroyed as well as the garage. The homeowner lived there 40 years. Developing this morning, another attack on the tracks. A group of teenagers attacked a bart rider over the weekend. They were able to track them down. It happened saturday evening on a richmond bound train. The attack happened on a train arriving at the north bay station. Police say a dozen teenagers took the victims phone. The thieves tried to get away. Bart police were able to catch some of them. One bart rider says Everyone Needs to be aware of their surrounding. Beef up security, be more cautious. Reporter had you heard of these things before . I heard a few things about bart in the past, but they need to be more cautious. The victim wasnt able to identify teen who took his phone. Now, there have been similar incidents at bart stations this past year. New video into the news room this morning showing troops in afghanistan celebrating christmas. U. S. Troops enjoyed a christmas dinner today. Soldiers described how they feel about being away from home on the holiday. I really miss my family. I normally would be home with them back in texas, celebrating Christmas Morning here shortly. But, it is an honor to serve. Our being here, not just the united states, but we made a lot of progress with our afghan partners. They turn a corner. We are here for a while. We are seeing Real Progress in terms of them taking over their own mission and doing well and being effective. Its actually really good. Im a corn bread dressing fan and this is a corn bread dressing, so its good. And theres pie. Pie is always a good thing. That is the largest u. S. Military base in afghanistan. Right now, at 5 06, hopefully you are waking up, feeling good on this Christmas Morning. It is a cool start. Even though we do have chilly temperatures, do not light up the fireplace today. No wood burning, we have a spare the air alert today. It will be unhealthy as far as the air quality. Moderate air quality for the east bay and the peninsula. As we look at the temperature starting out this morning, it is going to be in the 30s and 40s. 42 degrees in evergreen and as we go through the rest of the morning, upper 40s. Now, we are supposed to be in the upper 50s, but its going to be a little warmer than that, but there will be mostly cloudy skies. As we go through the week, it looks like it stays very nice, but also dry. Well talk about how much rain we are lacking and how much we need to catch up to normal, coming up in a few minutes. Thanks, kari. Coming up on this christmas day, a tale of a little girl and a stray dog that will melt your heart. He told me, cause you can talk to dogs in your brain. She told me she would come to me. So, is she a dog whisperer . Find out what happens next when we return on this Christmas Morning. You are watching today in the bay. Merry christmas. Right now, 5 10 as you get ready to head out this morning. Well, here is a look at 101 through palo alto. Its empty out there. If you have to get up and get out the door, youll be turning on the heater. Look how cool it is going to be. 42 degrees at 7 00 this morning. It gradually warms up today into the upper 50s by this afternoon. Its going to be warmer in the forecast and with well take a look at those numbers coming up in five minutes. Thank you very much, kari. We continue to keep our eye on southbound 880. This is near the southland mall this morning. A live look. You can see the destruction to a chp car as it was rear ended. We know that two chp officers were transported to the hospital. We dont know the extent of their injuries, so far. The driver of the other car was transported to the hospital right now. As of right now, i should say, 880 southbound through hayward is shut down while this Investigation Continues this morning. Its 5 11 right now. The new year means people arrived on bart for teenagers. We are talking half off ticket prices. Bart tweeted this, you must be 18 and under to qualify and get a youth clipper account. Visit www. Nbcbayarea. Com to get the details on how to sign up. If you base it on the number of views, this next story was the most popular bay area story of 2017. Thousands were captivated of garvin thomass story of a 6yearold dog whisperer. Take a look. Reporter theres only so much Life Experience one can gain by the age of 6. Riding bikes. Reporter but, what is the right experience. Megan showed the adults in her life, including her mom, karen. It can make all the difference. She taught me a huge lesson that day. Reporter the story begins in the fields and orchards of hollister, where last winter, people began spotting a stray dog. The hollister animal lost and found Facebook Page was quickly on the case. They learned the dog escaped from a new home two days after being adopted and clearly had no interest in going back. She was in what we call fight or flight mode. Reporter deanna and her experienced rescue team tried and tried and failed for two months to catch the dog. I have done Animal Rescue for years. All the typical things like cage trap and baiting with smelly food was not working. The only way to earn her trust is get someone who might remember. Reporter which is where megan comes in. You see, megan and her mom foster and train rescue dogs in their morgan hill home. 75 in just the past year alone. Therapy dogs and we have trained other dogs. She had trained several puppies. Reporter one of those dogs, it turns out, was daisy, the hollister stray. He was only in their home a few weeks. Her bond with megan was uncanning. Reporter in late december, they drove to hollister to see what they could do and saw daisy sitting in a field. Karen started shooting video and wasnt the one who told megan what to do next. Megan said that was daisy. She told me, cause you can talk to dogs in your brain and she told me if mom stayed in the truck, she would come to me and i believed it. Reporter out megan went, laid down in the middle of the field and waited. I didnt have a plan. I just started doing it. I used all my experience with the dog. Reporter daisy was cautious, at first. Then, this dog, who ran from every dog looking to help her, finally surrendered to the charm of a 6yearold dog whisperer. Good girl. I am so proud of my kid. I was just amazed. I could not believe my eyes. Theres no way to watch that and not cry. The best foster dog i ever had. Reporter they have had fun catching up, but wont be staying together. They want to keep rescuing other dogs, so they found a great new home for daisy. They will be in touch, though. Some bonds, clearly, are never meant to be broken. In hollister, garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. Beautiful, isnt it . It is. Just fl time f just in time for christmas, a holiday is ability more than gifts. How a family of 12, who lost three homes in the cascade fire, now celebrating the holidays. twas the night before christmas when all through the house reporter this is the night before christmas for the ke ketchums. Reading a holiday story around the campfire. We used to spend christmas together, but not this close. Reporter three generations living in four trailers surrounding a christmas tree. Their homes went up in the ferocious and deadly cascade fires. We are fighters. We are going to get back on our land. This is where we lived for 17 years. This is what we are used to. Reporter this is not what they pictured, but this family of 12, who lost their precious belongings, refuse to lose their christmas spirit. We are all safe. We all made it out safe. That was the most important thing to us. Now dasher, now dancer, now prancer and vixen. Reporter now, five children, ages 28, will wait patiently for santa. Santa is going to give them back the things they had and new things. Reporter more exciting, they say, is the gift of just being together, as a family. This year is different because we are all making sure we are all going to be taken care of and we are making it very special. Flew like a flash, tore open the shutters reporter sharing laughs and hugs, which are their only necessities on a christmasy night when love burns bright. And to all a good night. Merry christmas to all. A lot of people are celebrating christmas. Hey, the 49ers and jimmy g. Riding high this morning fresh after their fourth consecutive win yesterday at levi against the jacksonville jaguars. Jimmy garappolo. Its awesome. Things are going good right now. Theres a buzz in the air. You can feel it as soon as you walk in the stadium, the crowd going nuts in the pregame. Its exciting. I dont know, its a nice thing to be a part of. Fans are saying the same thing. They love the winning streak. 49ers beat the jaguars 4433. Christmas gift to all the 49er fans out there. Jimmy is the hot new thing there. Absolutely. Amazing what one person can do. Wow its a huge turn around. Today is going to be a nice gift. We have the kind of weather that starts out cool. Head out with the kids and they will test out their new rides. All dry across the area. Here is a live look outside in San Francisco, 48 degrees. You need a coat as you get ready head out for work and that seven day forecast is coming up on the screen. Lets look at what is outside now, as far as our temperatures. 34 degrees in fairfield. Thats one of our cool spots. 38 in livermore. Oakland, 41 degrees. San francisco is now 48 degrees. We look at the High Temperature reaching the upper 50s. Los gatos, look for a high of 58 degrees. 57 in pleasanton. Antioch, 56 degrees. 56, also, in san mateo. Halfmoon bay, 58 degrees. I think those clouds will keep those temperatures down several degrees. Its going to be a little warmer than it was yesterday. As we go through the day in oakland, just a few peeks of sunshine starting out at 44 degrees at 8 00 and 55 by 4 00, cooling down quickly. If you have family here, they will be heading out of town tomorrow, across the state is all clear. Much milder temperatures for southern california. Palm springs, 73 degrees and l. A. 63 degrees. No issues as far as traveling over the next few days. Now, we talk about how dry its been during the month of december and lets get a look at some of these numbers. We have only measured. 08 in santa santa rosa. Oakland, almost. 10 inch. We are lacking several inches of rain. We normally get a lot of rain in the north bay and we are missing five inches of rain there. We are missing three inches of rain in San Francisco this month and two inches of rain, almost three, in oakland. San jose, lacking two inches of rain there. As we look ahead to the forecast to see if there is anything else down the line, unfortunately, another area of High Pressure that kept it dry all month long will set up just to the south and keep any chances of any fronts moving in. That will stay well to the north of the bay area. The next seven days, nothing but mostly clear skies, cool mornings and mild afternoons. It will be mid to upper 60s for the rest of the week for the inland areas. Another look at the forecast coming up a little bit later. Thanks so much, kari. Our kids already opening their presents. Coming up, when it comes to gifting, it is better to give lots or little to children, but a new study says, its good for your kids. You are watching today in the bay. Welcome back. A great Christmas Morning to you. 5 24 right now. More than half of americans were hoping for gift cards this christmas. While it might be an easy gift option, its easier to steal money from them than you might think. There are few protections if you get hacked. Liz mclaughlin has a look at the tips you need to know about if you are giving a gift card this year. Reporter even santa is exhausted from rounding up gifts in time for christmas. For those of us, without the help of elves, gift cards are an easy last minute option. Cyber security expert says you will be busy. You will drain the balance. The cards for sale right now, i can hack those when they become activated. Reporter while chipenabled gift cards have upgraded protections, gift cards use magnetic strips and predetermined pin numbers and hackers are taking advantage. The ftc is seeing a spike in gift cards, but there are things you can do to protect yourself. Consumers should be looking out for gift card that is are already scratched, avoiding those. Reporter avoid getting right off the rack. If you have a gift card to spend, make sure you only use it at the retailer that issued it. Be on the lookout for Third Party Sellers asking for gift cards as payment. If you have an online merchant asking you to use amazon or itunes gift cards, that is a red flag. Reporter dont let them linger. The longer you hold on to them, the longer hackers have to access them, potentially gifting that money to someone else. Liz mclaughlin, nbc news. If you get a gift card drained of the money, call the number on the back of the card, rather than searching online. Scammers can create realistic Consumer Service page that is could fool you. New this morning, a visit with elderly family and friends may be the greatest gift of all. Aging experts at Cedar Sinai Medical Center say the holidays can feel lonely for seniors. Loneliness has been linked to stroke, Heart Disease and dementia. On this Christmas Morning, when so many children are ripping open presents, a study says fewer gifts are better. Researchers at the university of toledo did a stud ndoye see how they played with toys. It was small, involving 36 children. They are distracted when given 16 toys. They played creatively when they were given only four items. Hmm. Straight ahead, we are following two breaking news stories here on this Christmas Morning. Anser hassan is live in the east bay tracking one of those stories. Reporter we are following a major shutdown at part of 880 in hayward. What they are telling me about the crash and when they may open. Taking a live look outside, overlooking the bay bridge there. Look at the lights glisten on this Christmas Morning. We have a great day ahead. We have a look at that Christmas Morning forecast, coming up next. You are watching today in the bay. We re off to a cool start for our Christmas Morning. Right now at 5 30, it is your Christmas Morning. As we start off the day with a cool Christmas Morning here in the bay area. Taking a live look at San Francisco right now. The transamerica building lit up like a Little Christmas tree. Look at all the presents around it. At least thats what im thinking this morning. Thank you so much for joining us on this Christmas Morning. Im marcus washington. It is like a tree out there. Good morning to you. Thank you for joining us so much. Kari is here as well. Our elf music led us in. Its a nice forecast this morning. People getting ready for maybe mass this morning. Maybe mass, opening presents, celebrating with the kids. Maybe you are up already going to work. It is going to start out cool. You need a warm coat and the temperatures today, warmer than yesterday. We are still going to keep those clouds and its going to be about normal for the end of december. What is not normal is the lack of rain we have had around the bay area. We will talk more about that and whats ahead in the forecast, coming up in a few minutes. Laura and marcus . Thank you so much, kari. It is 5 31 right now. We are following breaking news this monday morning. Major back ups along 880 in hayward after a crash involving chp officers. We are getting a look at video from the scene this morning. Anser hassan is live. Any updates on the officers involved and what happened . This is 880 southbound. Reporter thats correct, laura. Right now, we know the two officers were taken to the hospital. We still dont know the extent of their injuries. This is live pictures. You can see investigators are still out here. This is the chp patrol car involved in the crash. Investigators have been out here since at least midnight. The collision happened sometime after 11 30 p. M. Last night. This is 880 southbound near winton avenue across from the south end mall in hayward. Two officers were injured but we dont know how bad their injuries are at this time. The driver of the other car that hit them was taken to the hospital. If you are driving through, know that traffic is already a mess. All of southbound 880 through hayward is shut down because of the investigation. The five lanes of traffic are diverted to a single lane exit, a street, and thats causing huge delays. We are expecting an update from chp around 9 00 a. M. 880 to 92, expect it to be closed until at least 9 00 a. M. Thank you. It is 5 32 right now. People are looking for another place to stay on this Christmas Morning after an overnight fire quickly spread. The fire broke out in the bruno heights area at 1 30 in the morning near prospect and virginia avenue. Crews rushed to the scene. Three homes were impacted with the fire starting in the front of one home before it spread to others. Here is what neighbors are saying. I heard a bang and there was an educatixplosion. I saw an explosion, you know, flames. So, very sudden. Thats what i saw. I kind of heard her freaking out. Then, i didnt know what was going on, then she said look outside and, yeah, it was up in flames. None of the people were hurt while trying to get out. Its still not clear how that fire started. Developing this morning, investigators hope to learn more today about a Small Plane Crash that killed five people. A 70yearold lawyer and his two daughters were among the dead. The group was trying to take a day trip to key west on Christmas Eve morning. 50 miles southwest of orlando, visibility was less than a quarter mile in the area at the time. Happening today, its going to be a White Christmas in new england. Crews spent yesterday preparing those roads. Much of eight inches of snow is in the forecast. Cape cod could see wind gusts of 60 miles an hour this morning during that storm. The same storm system that brought snow to the midwest and the great lakes yesterday. Holiday cheer in the south bay, nbc bay area was there as trucks provided food for the homeless in st. James park in san jose. Volunteers handed out clothing, blankets and toothbrushes to those in need. Gratifying to get food here today. You know, a lot of Homeless People here in san jose who need food here. There are 4300 homeless in san jose. A third of them sleep outside on the streets. So glad to see people helping out. Yeah, giving. Its so cold out there. Its been really cold in the morning hours. We are going to see more of the same as we head into the weekend, people celebrating new years eve. Its also going to be another busy one. As we look at saturdays forecast, the coast is going to be 60 degrees, not bad. 62 for the bay and 65 degrees for the inland areas. We are going to keep that sunshine. Then, for new years eve, 59 degrees along the coast. 61 in the bay and 63 degrees for those inland valleys. If you are going to be lucky enough to go to heavenly this weekend, see the fireworks over lake tahoe, 57 degrees, very warm and theres no snow in the forecast. So, most likely, you will have safe travels getting there. If you are going down to l. A. For the weekend, 75 degrees. It is going to be so warm heading closer to the new year on sunday, 67 degrees for the High Temperature. If you are going to be staying closer to home, going to santa cruz, mid60s throughout the weekend and mostly sunny skies. Let me know what you are doing this weekend and it may come up here. Ill have a look at todays temperature trend coming up in three minutes. Sounds good. We look forward to that. Thank you, kari. It is 5 36. Coming up, the story changing veterans lives forever. Did you give the right gift . As the presents get opened, well show you what is at the top of the items. You are watching today in the bay. It is 5 39 on this Christmas Morning. We start out with mostly clear skies. Also chilly temperatures. A live look outside at the christmas in the park, still lit up. Maybe you are going out there today. Lets check out the temperature trend. Willow glen will be at 44 degrees. We will still see a mix of sun and clouds today. Normally, we are at 57 degrees. We are going to be just slightly above that today. Our temperatures continue to warm as we go through the week. More on that in five minutes. Thank you very much. We continue to follow this investigation in hayward. This is 880 southbound, lanes near the southland mall near winton where you see a lone chp vehicle on the street. It is surrounded by a lot of debris. It looks like it was rear ended. Investigators are taking pictures and trying to gatt ehe evidence. It closed all southbound lanes of 880 near winton this morning. We will continue to follow the investigation. A u. S. Military veteran who has been deported for criminal acts after leaving the service are back in the u. S. For the first time. We have hundreds of honorably discharged military veterans deported over the years to their native countries after committing a crime. Even though they qualify to become u. S. Citizens and military service members. After our story aired, Governor Brown granted clemency for them. They paid the way for one to return to the u. S. We have this critical update. Reporter with supporters standing at the Mexican BorderHolding Signs of welcome, marine corps veteran walked up to a stand full of microphones, nearly unrecognized. After all, he had been gone from the u. S. Nearly 15 years. Only then did dozens swarm the honorably discharged marine. He told the crowd he was so thrilled to return to the u. S. , he hadnt slept the night before. I was in disbelief. I believe it now. Reporter his parents brought him to the u. S. As a 1yearold. As he got older, he enlisted in the marines and was honorably discharged after serving four years. He served ten months in prison on animal cruelty charges. Ill be with my family, able to wake up Christmas Morning and hug them. Reporter earlier this year, nbc bay area traveled to tijuana, mexico to talk to other veterans deported under the same u. S. Policy. Each told us they were not given the opportunity to become citizens while they served in the military. We documented 300 of them living overseas. Did the military drop the ball . The department of defense did. Reporter assemblyman Nathan Fletcher cannot believe its happened for decades. Anybody who is willing to die for their country they should get citizenship. Reporter Governor Brown gave them clemency. Good to use as an example to open the door for other veterans to come back. Fletcher, the aclu and other human rights advocates are calling on congress to change the policy and allow them to return. There is a bill under consideration on capitol hill, so far, it appears Neither Congress nor the administration is inclined to move that bill forward. If you have a story for our unit, call 888996tips or send an email to the unit at www. Nbcbayarea. Com. New this morning, millions of people opening gifts this year. We have an idea of the top gifts of the year. Clothing, considered the most popular gift according to the National Retail federation. Gift cards, a close second and books a distant third. The most wanted holiday gift, 41 requested gift cards. Closing in, electronics were the runner up. If you didnt get a gift you like, consumers are not afraid to make an exchange. 54 of all Holiday Gifts according to data from gift now. Consumer reports issuing a warning for parents this holiday about kids and magnets. Strong magnets have brought concerns up in the past because they can be swallowed and cause serious injury to children. Theres a legal restriction on magnets banning them in products for children under the age of 14. Many listings of the magnets online didnt specify the age e description. XChristmas Morning arrived and santa is back at the north pole. He was so busy, but we have video of him arriving here in the bay area. Norad detected santa arriving in San Francisco as the sleigh flew by the golden gate bridge. This is video from norad. They track santas journey every year and released this footage of santa over the golden gate bridge. According to norad, santas elves are fans are San Francisco. They sometimes ride the cable cars thinking of new ideas for toys every year. San francisco is one of the last stops on santas trip every year. The president and first lady spent time speaking to children. One was ryan, a 5yearold boy whose christmas list was for his grandmother to get out of the hospital. The president said it would be better than any toy he would receive. The children trump spoke with say they called the norad service. A few of the calls routed to trumps maralago estate in palm beach. Happening right now, dozens of volunteers are helping the Salvation Army in San Francisco preparing a meal to serve 4,000 people. Imagine working in that kitchen this morning. Pete suratos is at the central kitchen. You may lend a little hand there, pete . Reporter if i have time in between my live reports, i will lend a hand. We are here at the Salvation Army kitchen in San Francisco just on the 800 block of paris avenue. I want to show you the folks helping. They are packing ul tp the meal. They are going hand the meals to seniors and those home bound. Well show you that meal that is ham, baked ham, pineapple, mixed vegetables. You see they are putting together these meals for a good cause. We are talking 4,500 meals. They are packing 1,000 meals per hour. We are going to bring you back here with Lieutenant Colonel tim foley. Merry christmas to you. Merry christmas. What is taking place here. Who are you helping out . 4500 home bound seniors and other folks with a nice holiday meal. Reporter what is it like . I mean, being here. You are looking at people that have been here since 5 00 a. M. , packing the meals and the holiday spirit and helping out folks in the community. Its a wonderful thing, especially in San Francisco where its hightech. There is a really they will get a physical presence of a volunteer coming to their home and delivering a meal. Reporter thats how it is going to work. Folks are packaging the meal here. 400 volunteers are going to take these meals to folks around San Francisco. What are the specific places you are going to go to . Reporter almost every neighborhood in San Francisco is going to be covered. We are going to a lot of senior residents, slos, other places like that. We want people in San Francisco to know they are not forgotten today. Our army of volunteers doing the most good here are reaching out on christmas with this great meal. Reporter got it. Definitely an army of volunteers. How long are they doing this . This is a lot of food to pack this morning. How long are they doing it . Reporter they have been here since 5 00 this morning and will work here until 6 457 00, then we are going back across the street. All the meals taken there, then volunteers and picking these up. Thats section two. Thank you so much. Is that the truck they are going to be right there. Reporter can we see that . Thats the truck they are delivering. The boxes and meals delivered, stored in and thats where it is going to be eventually across the street. The cars come along and pick it up. Reporter got it. A lengthy process, as you can see. Im going to try to talk to the chef. Maybe we could get him in the next hour. Apparently, they have been putting this together since wednesday. A lot of baked ham and yams they are cooking here. Well do that in the next hour. That is a lot of work for that many people. So nice to see that giving spirit. Thank you, pete. Merry christmas to you, too. Working on a christmas holiday. Thats nice. You are with good people. Here to bring in that Christmas Morning. Maybe you are getting up, ready to head into the office, bring goodies for everybody. I brought my bourbon balls this morning. You did . I did. Lets get this show going. Lets get a look outside as you head out this morning, feeling anything and warm. Its still, unfortunately, cool outside. Here is a live look outside in San Francisco and heads up about this. Air quality will be unhealthy again today at the spare the air alert day. No wood burning and moderate air quality for the east bay and peninsula. What we are putting out there in the atmosphere gets trapped near the surface and makes the air quality bad for all of us here. Do not light up that fireplace. It is going to be in the upper 30s as you step out. Palo alto, 42 degrees. Lower 40s for san jose with the High Temperatures this afternoon reaching the upper 50s. Now, this is going to be a little warmer than it was yesterday. It was so chilly outside especially with the lack of sunshine. There will be clouds rolling by today. Antioch will top out at 56 degrees and 57 degrees in hayward. 58 degrees in halfmoon bay. Palo alto, a high of 57 and 55 in the mission district. North bay reaching 58 degrees today in sonoma. As we get started this morning, you are looking out the window. You can see the clouds and you know its a cool morning. Grab a hat and a coat. As we go through the day, its going to be cool. If you are going out jogging today, you have the day off and you want to shed a few pounds before we head into a big meal later today. Its going to be in the upper 40s throughout the morning in san jose. 53 degrees at 10 00. Still cool, even at noon at 56 degrees. If you are if you have family in town and heading out tomorrow, here is a look at the forecast as you travel across the region. Upper 40s in yosemite, 60 in vegas and 64 degrees tomorrow in san diego. All dry for all of us because of a strong area of High Pressure thats kept it dry throughout the month of december. Well block any chance of rain for the rest of the year. Hopefully, well get better rain chances next year. As we go into the next several days in San Francisco, it stays in the mid to upper 50s and morning temperatures for the inland areas are still going to be on the cool side. Ill have another look at the forecast coming up a little later. Thanks, kari. Coming up next on today in the bay, a look back at this years best of the bay area proud. We are going to take you to a South Bay Elementary School that is taking a project based learning to a brandnew level. First, happening now, at least 20 people have been killed in northern philippines after a passenger bus collided. It happened in the Early Morning hours. Its not clear what caused the crash. Back home, lots of cooking is happening at the church. This is in San Francisco right now. Theres a breakfast for seniors at 7 30 and everyone is invited to join at 8 00. Hundreds of people are volunteering for both events and for many more, things are happening around the bay area this christmas day. We are back in two minutes with more news. You could save energy by weaving your own shoes. Out of flax. Or simply adjust your thermostat. Do your thing, with Energy Upgrade california. Welcome back, everyone. Merry christmas to you. 5 55. The new year means cheaper rides on bart for teenagers. Half off ticket prices. You must be 18 and under to qualify for a clipper card. Discounts begin january 1st. Head to www. Nbcbayarea. Com for all the details on how to sign up. Housing is something we talk about a lot here in the bay area. Its usually a topic among adults. Thats what happened at one Elementary School that is special. Garvin thomas has the details. Reporter at john sinnott elementary, when a teacher talks about bridge building this is stephen, hes got great ideas. Reporter she means making connections, not construction. Keep each other on track. Reporter in this classroom, when they talk about home building, well, that is exactly what they are talking ability. I always knew i didnt want to be a traditional classroom teacher. This is what i want you to do. Reporter shes been a fan of project based learning for her 26 year career. Each year coming up with a bigger project to collaborate on. This summer, watching home and garden tv, rita got her biggest idea yet. I say what do you think if we try to build a tiny home. They were like, could we do that . I said, whats stopping us . I thought it was very interesting and ambitious. Reporter rita corralled likeminded teaches to help. Rita, along with third, fifth and sixth graders are figuring out design, estimating cost and learning about construction techniques and time line. All so that by the end of this school year, right outside ritas classroom, a real, permanent, tiny home will stand. Right there is your reporter her students fully embraced the project and love the fact they will leave a tangible legacy at their school. Its what they will be taking with them into the future, though, that rita cares most about. Reporter one of my students said to me, when i said the sky is the limit, you take your project wherever you want. The one student raised his hand and said, why is the sky the limit . Why cant we go i get emotional, but why cant we go higher than that . When a student says that, then you know that what you are doing is what really best for your student. How does a teacher say no to that . You are good at thinking outside the box. Reporter rita, of course, taught long enough to know that a good teacher doesnt. In milpitas, garvin thomas, nbc bay area news. Ritas students kept on schedule. By the end of the school year, the tiny house was finished. No one is going to live in it, however. It will be a Learning Center for years to come. Great story. At 6 00, breaking news out of the east bay this morning. Lanes of a major highway shut down after a crash involving chp officers. What the crew at the scene is being told as this investigation on this interstate unfolds. Forced from their homes on Christmas Morning. The damage overnight. Getting into the holiday spirit. Why hundreds of volunteers are preparing to hit the roads to spread christmas cheer. Today in the bay continues right now. A very good Christmas Morning to you. Im laura garcia. I eechl marcus washington. As we begin your Christmas Morning, thank you for being with us as we open it with you. Its going to be a great start this morning. A lot of people have to work this morning, so we are going to get you started. Its cold outside, again. As we go through the day, its going to make it a little warmer than yesterday. Look at that. We are back in the upper 30s n. North bay. 43 degrees in oakland and 42 in san jose. As we go into the afternoon, it is going to reach the mid to upper 50s. Still clouds lingering overhead. Talk about when the skies clear and whats ahead for the rest of the week. Thats coming up in a few minutes. Thank you very much, kari. At 6 00, we are following breaking news. Major back ups along interstate 880 and hayward southbound lanes after a crash involving chp